This Time 'Round
by michael2scott2
Summary: It starts with a man in a bow tie, a blue box and... a little bit of mace. She thanks all the Gods out there for bringing her that strange man in the big blue box because she wouldn't trade those days full of danger and adventure and boredom for anything. They scarred her, thrilled her and changed her. And they were how she fell in love with the Doctor.
1. The Beginning

**Hiya! So welcome to This Time 'Round. I've wanted to write a Doctor Who fanfiction for a long time, but I couldn't really get anything together and I didn't really have the time. But I've got an idea in my head and hopefully I can get it all together. I wrote and rewrote this chapter to many times to count. It was so hard deciding a believable way to have Ivy meet the Doctor and then decide what episode I wanted her to start at. But I like this and I'm sticking with it. Hopefully you do as well. Please let me know what you think, but no flames please. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my OC and her backstory. **

Ivy woke with a start, the familiar terror threading its way through her body, consuming her. She twisted, throwing the constricting covers off her and gasping wildly for air. Button, her Golden Retriever, came to her side, her cold nose pressing against her sweaty palm and let out a long, sad whine. She was slowly coming back to herself, her fingers weaving through the soft golden fur as her breathing slowly calmed. It was a familiar routine, one her and Button had gotten down well over the years.

As she calmed, Button perked up, her ears flicking forward and her tail thumping against her now sweaty sheets. She gave a shaky smile, scratching behind her ears in thanks. "Good girl." She whispered, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.

After a couple more minutes of calming down, she slid out of bed and headed toward the kitchen. Button followed after her dutifully, watching her cautiously as she moved around the kitchen and began to make coffee. Going back to sleep was never an option after the nightmares, so she grabbed some textbooks and began her homework.

Hours later, after finishing all her chapters, her homework and even doing some research for her paper not due for another few months, the sun began to rise outside. She paused, rubbing her face tiredly before grabbing her coffee and walking out to her balcony. She sipped at it, seating herself on the lawn chair and absentmindedly rubbed Button's head as the sky began to lighten. After a couple minutes she slowly stood, gazing out at skyline before heading back inside and getting ready for work. She paused at the door, her brow furrowing as she glanced at Button. Instead of following her as usual, she had hesitated, staring out at something outside. She rolled her eyes, grinning at the dog. "Come on, Button." She prompted, trying to tear her away from the squirrel or bird that had caught her eye, and the two headed inside to start the day.

~DW~

"Just listen, Ivy!" Emma begged, trailing after her through the hallway of the cafeteria of the college. Ivy sighed, trying and almost failing to stop herself from rolling her eyes as Emma walked a bit faster to catch up with her. "I'm serious, Ivy. He's so sweet and funny and nice-"

"Then you go out with him, Emma." Ivy muttered, rolling her eyes as she grabbed another cup of coffee from the barista and headed toward the salad bar. Emma trailed behind her, grabbing a couple of snacks along the way and trying to keep up with her at the same time, all while still talking. Ivy was still annoyed, but couldn't help but be impressed.

"I'm still dating Eli." Emma muttered, her cheeks turning a bright shade of pink. "Just give this one a chance. You didn't even try last time."

"In my defense, I was trying." Ivy said, pausing to give her a look. "Then he said he lived with his parents. So..."

Emma rolled her eyes, throwing her yogurt down on the table and glaring at her. "Okay, that was one guy." She muttered, giving her a sheepish look. "But this one is different-"

"Look, Em." She said, cutting her off before she could give another spectacular description of this lovely, perfect guy. "I'm 26. I'm too old to be set up." Emma gave an incredulous look, opening her mouth to protest, but she quickly cut her off again. "Seriously, Emma. No more."

She gave Ivy a hurt, offended look and moodily stabbed at her yogurt. Ivy knew she would be mad at her for a little while, but she didn't really care. All she wanted was for her to stop with these dates. She knew Emma's heart was in the right place... it always was, but it was just too painful.

Not that Emma knew _why _it was so painful, so she couldn't really blame her friend. Like she said, her heart was in the right place.

"Speaking of dates, how was the one with Eli?" Ivy asked, knowing that would tide over her anger just a bit. Emma's cheeks turned red again, but she gave a delighted smile before she launched into a play by play of the date from that weekend. Ivy half listened, nodding and making an affirmative noise in the right spots. After a little while they parted ways, Ivy heading home and Emma heading to her last class of the day.

She opened the door to her small, dinky apartment, expecting Button to rush her as soon as the door opened as she usually did, but was surprised when the dog was nowhere to be found. She paused, slowly setting her backpack down as she listened for Button, an eerie feeling filling her when she heard nothing at first. She slowly moved down the hall, still listening intently.

"...you're quite welcome... is good to see you again... Oh! It is _so_ cool..."

She paused, her heart hammering in her chest as she quickly began to fumble around her purse for her phone and the small can of pepper spray she kept with her. She cursed as the purse fell from her shaking fingers and pens, Chap Stick and spare change clattered loudly onto the floor. She quickly crouched down, grabbing for the pepper spray before she heard the footsteps, the intruder coming closer and closer before she finally grabbed it, whipping around just as the man was before her and got him straight in the face.

He let out a yelp, stumbling back and falling into the wall. Ivy stumbled back as well, trying to get as far away from the strange man as possible, the pepper spray still held up. She finally got a good look at the man and for a moment was struck by odd he dressed for a thief. He was tall and thin, with a boyish face, a flop of brown hair and wore an odd tweed jacket, suspenders and a blue bowtie. He looked more like a nerdy professor than a thief or a criminal.

"What did you do that for?!" He cried with a British accent that was out of place in the middle of Indiana, even for a college town. "I apologized for what happened on Mars!"

"What the hell are you doing in my house?!" She snapped, watching him rub his eyes harshly, trying to clear the pepper spray from them and making the skin around his eyes a bright red.

"I'm coming to get you! I was going to take you to see the Beatles, but as I'm _blind _now, that might be a problem!" He cried, rubbing his eyes one last time before throwing his hands down and giving her a pathetic glare through red, tear filled eyes. He looked angry with her, but even that didn't look threatening. In fact, he was looking at her as if he knew her. So not a thief, a crazy stalker. A crazy stalker that was obviously delusional thinking he could take her to see the Beatles.

"Who are you?" She demanded, still pointing the pepper spray at him as she slowly moved toward her phone on the ground. He had been blinking rapidly and rubbing his tears away when she asked this and to her surprise he stopped, his hands falling to his side and he gave her a look that was a mixture of horrible sadness and shock.

"Ivy," He muttered, looking like a kicked puppy. "You know who I am."

She backed away just a bit, her brow furrowing as she stared at that hurt face. He looked so genuinely disappointed, so sad that it caught her off guard. She knew from some documentary that stalkers often made deep connections with their objects of affections where others wouldn't and she tried to remember where she ever would of came across this odd man. She was 100% sure she had never met him before, even in passing. Somehow she was sure she would remember someone who looked like him. "I really don't." She said, watching that sad look cross his features again. It was only on his face for just a moment this time before he gathered himself, adjusting his bow tie and straightening himself.

"Somehow it makes me feel a bit better about the pepper spray." He muttered, wiping at his eyes one last time before giving her a giant grin. "Not the first meeting I wanted though. No wonder you would never tell me."

Ivy felt her fear begin to dwindle and instead she began to wonder if the odd man was simply sick. He was talking like he was completely insane and he certainly dressed like he was a bit off. "What _are _you talking about?"

"We know each other. Or at this point in time, I know you." He stated, dusting his jacket off before he bent down and began to gather her things from the ground. Before she could dive down and grab her phone he had already taken it, but to her surprise he held it out for her. She snatched it from him, her fingers poised over the emergency call button but she was slowly becoming less and less sure about involving the police. He seemed to be just confused and maybe a little mentally off, not dangerous. Maybe she could talk him into coming with her to the hospital?

"So you know me. Have you been... watching me or something?" She asked, keeping a good distance from him as he walked past her toward the hangers she had by her door and setting her purse on a hook. He gave her a confused look, tilting his head at her question.

"We travel together. Starts now I suppose." He muttered, turning the corner toward her kitchen and she followed after him, trying to keep an eye on him. "Gather what you want, we won't be back for a while!"

"Look I'm not-" She came to a dead stop, staring in horror at the large blue police box sitting in the middle of her tiny kitchen. "What did you... how..." She stepped forward, studying the thing in anger and disbelief. It was one thing to break into her apartment, it was another to bring some giant box with him. Who broke into someone's apartment to bring in an old police box? Not to mention... how? "That's it. I've had enough."

She began to dial for the police, but before she could press the call button he lunged forward, grabbing for the phone and stealing it away from her. She gave a cry, trying to grab it back but he shoved it into his pocket and held his hands up. "How dare you-"

"I'm the Doctor!" He cried, dodging her as she tried to grab for his jacket. "I'm a time traveler. Me and you, we travel together, but never in the same order. This... this is the beginning for you, but for me... I've known you for hundreds of years."

She shook her head, slowly backing away from him. "You're insane." She breathed, her heart hammering in her chest. She had been wrong. He was some dangerous stalker.

He held a long finger up suddenly, giving her a desperate look before he shoved the door of the Police box open and she gaped, staring in disbelief at the inside at a room that couldn't possibly fit inside the tiny box. "My ship." He whispered, watching her as she carefully stepped forward, to curious and mesmerized to remember she had just been running away. It couldn't possibly be real. It had to be some sort of hologram or fake background.

"That's not possible." She muttered, stepping close to the door and reached out for the false back or to find the camera's projecting the hologram inside. Just as she was about to tear herself away, Button brushed past her, heading straight into the large room and instead of hitting the other side of the wall, she kept going. She padded right down the steps, sniffing here and there before circling the console and then looked back out at Ivy with her tongue out and her tail wagging. "H-how..." She gasped, taking a step inside despite her fear and she slowly began to make her way down the steps toward Button.

She heard footsteps just behind her and it was only then she realized she had completely forgotten about this strange man calling himself the Doctor. He stood in the doorway, gazing out at her and Button with a small smile, her apartment just behind him. It was an odd crash of realities and she couldn't help but wonder if she was dreaming. "Who are you?" She breathed, an odd mixture of fascination and fear swirling in her chest.

"I'm the Doctor." He answered, following her slowly down the stairs. "I've known you for hundreds of years. We've been through danger and adventures and boring days together. And this is when it begins."

She stared, so confused and scared. He was looking at her with those bright blue eyes and looking so sincere, so truthful it terrified her. The things he was saying just couldn't be true. She slowly backed away from him, shaking her head. "That's not possible!" She muttered, shaking her head as she backed straight into the console. She didn't have long to dwell on all this, because as soon as her hands fell against the cold metal to steady herself a horrible jolt ran up her spine, pain erupting in her head. She gave a cry, her knees buckling and she went crashing to the floor. Button was at her side immediately, nuzzling her and whining as she did after her nightmares. The Doctor followed, gathering her head in his hands and brushing her hair back from her face. "W-what's happening?" She cried, gasping as the pain spread from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet. It was unbearable and she had never felt anything like it.

"I'm so sorry, Ivy. I told you this is where it begins." He whispered, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead and pulling her against him. Any other time she would have fought off such affectionate gestures from a complete stranger, but she couldn't bring herself to do much more than cry. "Listen. You have to listen." He said firmly, lifting her chin and meeting her eyes. "I might not have the same face when you wake up. I might be a different man, but it's still me. You'll always find me, no matter where you jump, okay?"

"I d-don't..." She gasped, but she couldn't finish the sentence because her vision began to blur before it went completely black.

~DW~

She knew it was a dream. She had no idea where it came from... most nights she didn't dream or had just nightmares. She wondered where it had come from.

She snuggled deeper into her soft sheets, burying her head into her pillow. She still had a head ache, probably where part of the dream had come from, but it wasn't too bad and if she got back to sleep, she was sure it would go away. She sighed, trying to get back to sleep, drifting further and further before-

"Are you awake or doing that fake sleep thing again?"

Her eyes shot open, revealing a thin, handsome man grinning at her. He wore a blue and brown pin striped suit with a nice tie and had a pair of black glasses perched on his nose. He had intelligent brown eyes that were giving her an amused look, a mess of freckles across his nose and brown hair that was gelled into a messy perfection. She gave a cry of alarm, whipping that grin right off his face as she scrambled off the bed and across the room. "Get out of my room!" She cried, making him scrabble up from the chair, alarmed and confused.

"Sorry! Didn't know you'd want your privacy all the sudden!" He said, holding his arms up and shaking his head. "You crash landed pretty good this time, just wanted to make sure you were- OI!"

He barely dodged the picture frame she had launched at him, causing it to hit against the wall and shatter. "Get out of my house!" She snapped, looking around her night stand for her phone but paused, realizing these tables weren't hers. Ivy stared, her heart hammering in her chest as she turned slowly, looking around the room and realizing none of these things were hers. It looked like her taste, with the soft purple walls, the desk full of crafts and the fluffy white sheets. A picture of her and Emma was on the table. "Wh-where am I?" She whispered, turning to glare at the man.

He tilted his head, clearly confused and hurt by her behavior and she had a flash of the sad face the Doctor had made at her when she told him she didn't know him. He must have done something to her and taken her here. "Where's the Doctor? What did that bastard do?"

"Ivy, calm down." The man said softly, which only made her anger flare. If there was one thing she hated, it was being told to calm down.

"Screw you! I just woke up in a strange bed with some guy creeping on me-"

"Creeping?!" He cried, his voice rising to a high octave, looking completely offended.

"Where did he go?" She demanded, grabbing some figurine off the desk next to her and hoping she looked threatening. "Tell me now or-"

"I'm the Doctor!" He said, making her hesitate before launching another random item at him. "And don't throw that! It was your birthday present. You're rather attached to it." She gave him a glare, glancing down at the small figurine to realize it was a little Golden Retriever. "Like Button." He said, slowly coming around the bed. She jerked away from him, but he only grabbed the figurine from her hand and set it back onto the desk.

"You're not the Doctor." She whispered, pressing herself against the wall. "He was all tall and gangly with a bow tie."

"A bow tie!" The man cried, making a disgusted face. "Please don't tell me I start wearing a _bow tie._"

"You can't be the Doctor!" She cried, glaring at the man. What the hell was happening? Two crazy men in one night. They had to be working together. "He looked completely different. Way more than any plastic surgery would do. There is no way!"

"No plastic surgery." The man stated, still giving a small smile despite her anger and yelling. "How far did you get with the other Doctor? Get to the time travel bit?"

She paused, trying to calm down enough to remember everything the other man had said. "He said... he said he knew me but I didn't know him because he traveled in time. That we met each other out of order. But that isn't even-"

"Did he get to the 'I'm a face changing alien' part?" The man interrupted, seemingly unfazed by her denial.

"Okay," She muttered, rubbing her face tiredly and giving a harsh laugh. "Time travel is one thing but- hey!"

He snatched one of her wrists, pulling her hand against his chest and pressing it just over his heart. She felt the familiar beating of a heart beneath his skin. "One," He whispered, before sliding hand just a couple inches in the other direction. "Two."

She jerked her hand away, clenching her fingers into a tight fist. "Th-that's..."

"Two hearts." He grinned, crossing his fingers over each in an 'x'. "I'm a Time Lord. We have this... genetic quirk. Instead of dying when we get sick or hurt, we regenerate. The Doctor you saw, sounds like a future version."

She sighed, falling back onto the bed and staring up at him. He was leaning back against the wall, his hands stuck in his pockets as he watched her process this. "You seriously expect me to believe this crap? Different faces, time travel. I mean," She gave a laugh, shaking her head. "Come on."

He took a deep breath, coming to sit next to her on the bed. She watched him cautiously, feeling uncomfortable with someone she was sure was half crazy so close to her. "Got those scars on your knee at 9 when Brian Vick, the Vick family's biological son, shoved you down a hill. Tumbled down, right into the giant rock at the bottom. Got right back up and punched him in the face." She glanced at him, looking slightly alarmed by the knowledge and she covered her left knee with her hand self-consciously. But he continued on. "You had 10 foster families growing up. At 16 you called it quits though, lived in your car and finished high school. With honors." He bumped her shoulder at that, seeming almost proud of her. But she stood angrily, pacing back and forth.

"You could stalk me and find that kind of crap out easy." She snapped, glaring at him.

"I know it because you told me. You _trusted _me with it." He said, leaning forward and watching her with those odd brown eyes. "Just like you told me the only family you ever were truly happy with were the Martin's. And you called Mrs. Martin 'mum' once."

Ivy froze, turning to stare at this strange man. She had only ever told one person that, one person who was very dead. There was no way he could know about that. Absolutely no way.

But he did.

He stood suddenly, clapping his hands. "Come with me." He said, nodding toward the door.

"Where?"

"One last way to prove it." He said, beckoning her forward. She hesitated, still unsure before he waved his hand for her to follow. "Five minutes. That's all I'm asking."

She bit her lip, finally following after him. Everything was already crazy and insane, what was the worst thing that could happen? He grinned, clearly pleased, and headed out of the room into a long, metal hallway. Lights lined the floor, casting the hallway in a warm, orange glow. They turned a couple times, passing several different rooms before they entered another large console room like the one from before. It was a bit different, with coral columns leading up toward the ceiling, darker lighting and metal grating on the floor instead of glass. It was still undeniably beautiful, but strange as well.

"Console room." He explained, glancing back at her as they headed toward the center. He began to flip levers and different switches, making an odd wheezing noise fill the room. "TARDIS. Time and Relative Dimensions in Space." He grinned, pulling down one last switch before the whole room shook and the wheezing came to a stop. She fell back a bit, steadying herself against one of the large coral pillars. He came around toward her, stopping just before her and holding out his hand. She stared for a moment, reluctantly putting her hand in his and he led her toward the door.

He let her hand go just before the door, turning back toward her one last time and giving her a wide smile. He then reached forward, jerking one of the doors open and revealing what waited outside.

Ivy froze, trying to come to terms with what was right in front of her. She knew, logically, what was before her, but her brain just wasn't putting it together. In her defense, it wasn't every day you saw the Earth drifting in the middle of space outside the door.

He came to stand just behind her just as she shivered against the breeze coming from outside and leaned close. "All of time and space."

**Again, please let me know what you think! It's greatly appreciated. I'll update soon. **

**Till next time :)**


	2. The Next Doctor: Part 1

**Chapter 2 is here! Thank you to all of you who favorited and followed! It means so much. Please take the time to review too, please! Reviews are candy :)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Sadly.**

The Earth was beautiful, all green and blue and white swirls, hanging in the middle of the black night of space. Stars burned and twinkled around it, surrounding the orb in beauty. It was the most breathtaking and scary thing she had ever seen in her life.

She had to be dreaming. This had to be some long, weird dream. She had some imagination on her...

"What do you think?"

Ivy glanced back at the skinny man who also claimed to be this Doctor, studying him for a moment before smiling shakily. If this was a dream, she might as well go along with it. "It's... amazing." She said, staring out at the space before her again. "Beautiful."

He grinned, clearly pleased. He shut the doors with a snap before turning back to her, looking completely excited. "Where do you want to go for your first time, then? Future or past? Earth or an alien planet?"

She blinked, her head spinning at how ridiculously excited he looked. He was like a child on Christmas. "Um... anywhere, I guess. I don't know."

He paused for a moment, looking thoughtful before he bound up toward the console. "Past." He said, looking toward her and nodding. "I know how you like history."

She walked back up toward the console, watching him flip levers and switches just like before and that wheezing filled the air. She looked down at the console herself, running her fingers over the golden metal. It was smooth and oddly warm and for some reason gave her a deep feeling of comfort that she didn't quite understand. Her fingers trailed up toward one of the odd buttons, glowing a bright purple.

"Don't touch that!" The Doctor cried, reaching out quickly and brushing her hand away. "Could tear a hole in the entirety of space."

She stared, shaking her head. "Why the hell do you have a button for that?"

"Of course there isn't a button for _that._" He scoffed, giving her a look. "But it's a delicate process. Have to know what you're doing. You learn eventually." He said, waving his hands at the whole of the console.

"Right." She muttered. He pressed one of the buttons that, thankfully, didn't blow a hole in anything. Instead, the wheezing stopped and he stopped in his moving about.

"The past is right out there." He explained, nodding toward the door.

He seemed to be waiting for her, so she walked up toward the doors before slowly opened one side. The first thing she saw was a stone wall, snow flurries swirling through the air and sending a chill into the large room. She stepped out cautiously, the Doctor following just after her with his hands shoved into his trench coat pockets. "This way." He said, nodding toward the left.

She followed after him, the sound of people bustling about in the distance. They turned a corner outside the tunnel and the noise became louder. Different little makeshift shops and carts were placed around the square while people in old 19th century clothes milled about. A couple of children ran past the two of them, squealing with laughter and the Doctor's eyes followed them, a giant, fascinated grin on his face.

God, this was a realistic dream. She had no idea where it had come from, but she was sure spinning quite the tale tonight. It might be odd, but she couldn't say she missed the nightmares that usually plagued her at night. Give her an odd, face changing, time travelling alien over those any time. And like he had said, she did enjoy history.

The Doctor looked just as fascinated by the Victorian Era life hurrying around them as she was. He spun around every once in a while, trying to take everything in. "Alright, then?" He asked, his hand coming to rest on the small of her back as they made their way through the area. Usually something like that would have made her squirm, but she didn't really see the harm in letting some dream alien lead her around. "I know this can be a bit overwhelming at first."

"It's... something else." She said, returning his smile as he paused, looking about the square with childlike wander. "You're awfully excited. I thought you did this all the time."

"But it's still a new place." He marveled, turning back to grin at her. "Every place is new. New people, new buildings, new snow. Amazing." He laughed, taking in the vendors yelling and the choir singing. "Oi, you there. What day is this?"

A little blonde boy in raggedy brown clothes looked up at them, before answering, "Christmas Eve, sir."

"Right." The Doctor said, still gazing about at the busy square. "What year?"

Ivy couldn't help but snort, staring over at the Doctor in disbelief. "You brought us here and don't know what year it is?"

"You thick or something?" The boy added, giving the Doctor a skeptical look. The Doctor gave an offended look to both of them, glaring.

"Happens all the time." He answered Ivy, before turning back to the boy. "And just answer the question."

"The year of our Lord, 1851."

"Right!" The Doctor nodded, turning away from him and gazing down at Ivy as they walked further into the square. "Nice year – bit dull."

"What happened to exciting?" Ivy asked, eyeing him. He opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted when someone shouted in the distance.

"DOCTOR!"

The Doctor looked up, searching the square with a shocked look on his face before someone shouted again. "DOCTOR!"

"Who, me?" The Doctor asked, looking down at Ivy curiously.

"Don't look at me." She muttered, shrugging. He chuckled before reaching out and grabbing her hand, taking off into the square. She gave a squeak of surprise at being pulled after him, sprinting to keep up with him as he bounded off toward the person calling out for the Doctor. They rounded the corner as someone yelled out again and found the source of the screaming to be a young black woman with wild curls and a low cut dress that couldn't have been too warm in this weather. The Doctor let Ivy's arm fall to grab the woman, pulling her away from the large metal door that was rattling in front of them.

"Stand back." He warned, pushing the woman away. "What have we got here?" The door rattled loudly again, a muffled growling coming from behind the metal. "Oooh. Okay, I've got it, and whatever's behind that door. I think you should get out of here." The Doctor ordered, turning to give the woman a stern look. She didn't seem interested in what he had to say, because she gave him a very incredulous look before shouting out again.

"Doctor!" She cried, looking past Ivy down the street as though he wasn't standing right in front of her. Ivy raised an eyebrow, watching the Doctor give the woman a look of pure confusion.

"No, no, I'm standing right here. Hello."

The woman glared at him now, scoffing. "Don't be so stupid. Who are you?"

"I'm the Doctor." The Doctor insisted, giving Ivy an odd look. She shrugged back, just as confused by the situation as he was.

"Doctor who?" The woman asked.

"Just the Doctor."

The woman huffed, clearly displeased with this answer. "Well, there can't be two of you!"

Ivy laughed as the Doctor turned toward her, giving her a shocked look. "You'd be surprised." Ivy muttered, just as a tall, dark haired man in period clothing blew past her. She gasped, quickly getting out of his way as he skidded to a stop in front of the woman and the Doctor.

"Where the hell have you been?!" The woman snapped, glaring at him as he pushed the two of them back.

"Right then. Stand back. What have you got here, then?" He asked in a booming voice, looking at the doors with a sort of excitement despite the ominous growling and banging.

"Hold on. Hold on." The Doctor cried, raising an eyebrow. "Who are you?"

"I'm the Doctor, simply "the Doctor". The one, the only," He winked, grinning back at the Doctor, Ivy and the woman. "And the Best. Rosita, give me the sonic screwdriver." He waved his hand and the woman, Rosita, reached around in her pockets for something before pulling out a screw driver and handing it over.

"The what?" Her Doctor asked, staring as she handed the tool over. Ivy moved closer to the Doctor she had come with, staring in confusion at the other.

"He's you?" She asked, but her Doctor was far too preoccupied to answer. It seemed even he didn't know what was going on and was equally as confused by this as she was.

"Now, quickly, back to the TARDIS." The other Doctor ordered.

"Back to the what?!"

The other Doctor didn't answer, just shoved the other back with a grand sweep of his hand. "If you could stand back, sir, this is a job for a Time Lord!" He declared, a bit dramatically, before squaring off in front of the door.

"Job for a what Lord?" Her Doctor asked, but there was little time to dwell on the question because the door flew open, revealing an odd creature. It had a metal head, looking almost mechanical and robotic but it's body was all fur. Ivy stared, never having seen anything like it. She was trying to study it before her Doctor shoved her behind him and she huffed.

"Hey-"

"Well, that's new!" The other Doctor declared, grinning as the creature gave a menacing growl. Ivy backed away toward Rosita, staring at the thing with wide eyes. She seriously was going to have to write this stuff down in the morning, because it was blowing her mind. Maybe she could get a book deal out of it.

Both the Doctor's extended their devices with a flourish and declared in perfect unison, "Allons-y!"

"I've been hunting this beast for a good fort night." The other Doctor cried, shoving her Doctor away. "Now, step back, sir!"

The creature took a great leap, launching itself above their heads and onto the brick of the building behind them. It was at least half way up the building, clawing it's way up quickly.

"What the hell is it?" Ivy asked, looking at the two Doctors, who were just as fascinated by the thing as she was.

"Some sort of primitive conversion, like they took the brain of a cat or a dog." Her Doctor muttered, glancing up at the thing with wide eyes.

"Well, talking's all very well." The other Doctor mocked, looking back at the other women. "Rosita."

She came to his side, carrying a giant mass of rope. The Doctor took it, letting some of it go before lifting the other end and twirling it in the air. "Now, watch and learn!" He cried, twirling the lasso a couple more times before throwing it and landing it right around the creature's neck. It gave an angry growl, tugging back at the rope as the Doctor wrapped it around his arm and gave a cry of excitement. "Excellent! Now, then, let's pull this timorous beastie down to earth."

"I don't think-" Ivy started, shaking her head just as the creature continued it's way up the building, yanking the Doctor with him.

"Aah!" He yelled, fighting against the pull but his feet just skidded across the snow covered ground uselessly.

"Or not." Her Doctor muttered watching as the other was starting to get pulled straight up the building. Ivy's heart leapt into her chest and she made a scramble to grab the rope too, gasping when it jerked her forward and she banged right into the wall.

"Ivy!" Her Doctor gasped in alarm, quickly coming forward and grabbing a bit of rope as well. Ivy tried to get a bit of traction, but her arm had gotten caught in the mess and all too quickly she was yanked up the building along with the other Doctor and her own. He bumped against her as she screamed, the rope burning against her arm, causing a flare of pain. How...?

"You idiots!" Rosita cried at the bottom.

Ivy screamed as they were pulled further and further up, her arm slipping further. "Hold on tight!" Her Doctor ordered, his own arm coming to wrap around her before grabbing the rope again.

"This shouldn't hurt!" She cried, her arm burning and chaffing against the rope. The Doctor gave her an odd look, opening his mouth to say something but the other Doctor interrupted.

"Perhaps if you could pull..."

Her Doctor made a noise of irritation, staring down at the ground with wide eyes. "We _are _pulling! In this position, we couldn't not pull, could we?" He snapped, his legs flailing against her. She watched as the creature came to a window on the top floor of the building, throwing itself inside. The thing came to a stop inside the building, leaving them hanging below.

"Then I suggest you both let go." The Doctor above ordered, sparing a glance down at them.

"I'm not letting you out of my sight, Doctor." Her Doctor said, shaking his head. "Don't you recognize me?"

"No, should I?" The other asked, looking down at them again. "Have we met?"

Ivy made an angry noise, trying to grip the rope as hard as she could and not to look down. Her heart was beating wilding in her chest and she felt a flare of anger at the two of them. "Who cares?!" She screamed, her voice rising to a hysterical level. "We're hanging from the side of a BUILDING!"

"The lady is right!" The other Doctor called back. "This is hardly a time for me to go through my social calendaaahhhhh!"

They were jerked upward again and Ivy gave another scream of alarm. The Doctor pulled her closer, pressing her face into the warmth of his brown jacket. After a moment though and with several bangs and bumps, she was launched through a window and she landed on the floor of the building. She cried out again, this time from the pain of landing right on her ass and then from being yanked across the floor by the rope. The Doctor was just behind her, scrambling to get some traction and stop the creature but it was too quick and their arms were too caught up in the rope.

"It's gonna jump!" The Doctor behind her screamed and she looked forward, seeing the creature making a mad dash for the other window.

She tried to get her arm undone, the rope digging deeper into her flesh as she struggled. "We're going to fall!" The other Doctor screamed, making Ivy try even harder. Just as the creature was about to send them flying out the window, Rosita came out of nowhere and swung an ax down on the rope. Ivy groaned as she was sent tumbling forward and with a loud 'omph', the Doctor landed right on top of her. For such a skinny man, he certainly felt like he weighed enough.

"Get off!" She cried, shoving at him. He rolled off her with a groan, rubbing his back in pain. Ivy was in pain herself, something that scared and alarmed her. What kind of dream was this? It was one thing to _look _real, but it couldn't and shouldn't feel real as well.

The Doctor's were rising, both rubbing various body parts in pain before they both promptly burst into a fit of laughter and hugged each other. Ivy pulled herself up into a sitting position, staring at the two of them in angry shock. "Seriously?" She snapped, shaking her head and slowly pulling herself up. Her whole body ached and if she wasn't completely sure it was a dream, she knew she would have been bruised in the morning. But it was a dream, even if her ass hurt like hell and her ribs felt like they were broken and her arm was an angry red from rope burn. It _had _to be.

"Alright?" Her Doctor asked, still looking completely amused by the whole situation.

"Fine. Just great." She snapped, dusting herself off and glaring at him.

"Ohhh," He teased, looking her over a bit. "Forgot how testy you were when you were young."

She looked up, giving him a deadly glare. She was about to retort, but the other Doctor gave a whoop of excitement.

"That was brilliant!" The other Doctor hooted, earning an equally angry glare from Rosita. At least the other women realized how horrible that situation was. The four of them made their way back downstairs, the two Doctors still clearly reveling in what had just happened.

"Well, I'm glad you think it's so funny!" Rosita snapped from the front. "You're mad – both of you! You could have got killed!"

"Thank you!" Ivy snapped, glaring at the two of them as they continued to chuckle.

"But, evidently, we did not." The other Doctor smiled. "Oh, I should introduce Rosita..." He walked around the grate of fire they had stopped before to come to the irritated women's side. "My faithful companion, always telling me off."

"Well, they do, don't they?" Her Doctor laughed, giving Ivy a very pointed nod. She glared right back, smacking his arm rather hard in retaliation. He threw her a scandalized look, rubbing the spot before turning his attention back at the other two. "This is Ivy. Rosita." He muttered, testing the name out. "Good name. Hello, Rosita."

Rosita gave him a scoff, clearly still displeased with the two of them before turning toward the other Doctor. "Now I'll have to go and dismantle the traps." She grumbled, throwing her hands up in displeasure. "All that for nothing. And we've only got 20 minutes till the funeral, don't forget!" She turned on her heel, lifting her skirts and stomping away through the snow. The stayed around the grate, rolling his shoulder with a look of pain and seem unaffected by the screaming women.

"Funeral?" Her Doctor asked curiously, glancing over at the other Doctor.

"Oh, long story. Not my own, not yet." He pulled at his shirt, doubling over with a groan. "Oh. Ohh, I'm not as young as I was."

"Well," Her Doctor muttered. "Not as young as you were when you were me."

The other Doctor looked up at him, his brow furrowed a bit. "When I was who?"

Her Doctor gave a shocked smile, shaking his head in disbelief. "You really don't recognize me? Or even Ivy?"

The other Doctor stood, putting his hands on his hips and shook his head. He glanced between the two of them blankly, his blue eyes not even showing a glint of recognition. Ivy wasn't sure what the protocol was when the Doctor changed his face, but from her Doctor's reaction, she was sure he was supposed to remember the old one. But this one clearly didn't have a clue who they were and even affirmed as much. Her Doctor stepped closer, staring at the other with a bright smile despite the lack of recognition.

"But you're the Doctor... the next Doctor or the next but one... a future Doctor, anyway." He muttered, looking him up and down. He glanced back toward Ivy, giving her a curious look. "Not the one you saw before, right?"

She shook her head, rubbing her arms against the cold and the rope burn. "No. He was all gangly and pale with floppy hair."

Her Doctor gave a frown, looking displeased by this description. "Floppy hair? _And _a bow tie?" He groaned, shaking his head. He turned back toward the other Doctor, giving him an alarmed look suddenly. "No, no. Don't tell me how it happened. Although, I hope I don't just trip over a brick. That'd be embarrassing. Then again, painless." He muttered, looking up and he contemplated this. Ivy couldn't help but roll her eyes as he started rambling. "Depends on the brick, I suppose."

"You're gabbling, sir." The other Doctor pointed out, looking a bit amused. "Now, might I ask, who are you two exactly?" He asked, looking between the two of them with interest.

"No, I'm uh... I'm just Smith. John Smith." He stuttered, earning a snort from Ivy. John Smith? That was the best he could come up with? "And this is Ivy. But we've heard all about you, Doctor." He smiled, leaning closer to the other one excitedly. "Bit of a legend. If I say so myself."

"Cocky." Ivy muttered under her breath, earning an elbow to the ribs from her Doctor. She huffed, rubbing the spot and glaring at him. He gave her a warning look though and she rolled her eyes and shut up.

"Modesty permits me from agreeing with you, sir." The other Doctor said, grinning as he warmed his hands over the fire. "But yes, yes, I am."

"Dear God." She muttered, folding her arms and shaking her head. Her Doctor gave her another glare, but she glared right back this time, shrugging.

"A legend with certain memories missing... am I right?" Her Doctor asked slowly, giving the other one a cautious look.

The other Doctor looked up, clearly alarmed. "How do you know that?"

"You've forgotten us." He said simply, watching the other Doctor curiously.

"Great swathes of my life have been stolen away." The other Doctor said sadly, his deep voice filling with worry. "When I turn my mind to the past... there's nothing."

"Going how far back?" Her Doctor asked.

"Since the cybermen, masters of that hellish wall-scuttler and old enemies of mine, now at work in London Town." He was getting riled up now, scanning the streets as if that furry thing would be back any second. "You won't believe this, Mr. Smith, but they are creatures from another world."

"Really? Wow." Her Doctor said, his voice filled with fake shock. He glanced over at Ivy, elbowing her when she didn't look sufficiently surprised.

"Ow." She muttered, glaring at him. "I mean... that's... crazy."

The other Doctor didn't seem to care or didn't notice their lack of shock though, because he continued on. "It's said they fell onto London out of the sky in a blaze of light." He explained dramatically. His face fell suddenly, a deep sadness filling them as he looked toward the flames. "And they found me. Something was taken. And something was lost." He stared, still far away before he back up toward her Doctor and Ivy with wide eyes. "What was I like... in the past?"

Her Doctor turned squirrely all of a sudden, shaking his head. "We- I-I don't think I should say, sorry." He stuttered, shrugging. "Got to be careful with memory loss. One wrong word..."

"It's strange though." The other Doctor muttered, his blue eyes flicking between them. "I talk of Cybermen from the stars... and you two don't blink."

"Ah!" Her Doctor said excitedly. "'Don't blink", remember that?" But the other Doctor stared back blankly. "'Whatever you do, don't blink?' With the blinking and the statues and Sally and the angels... no?"

The other Doctor showed a complete lack of recognition though, shaking his head as he looked her Doctor up and down. "You're a very odd man."

"Mm, I still am." Her Doctor muttered, sighing. "Something's wrong here-"

"Oh!" The other Doctor cried, snapping his fingers. "The funeral. The funeral's at 2:00! It's been a pleasure Mr. and Mrs. Smith!" He cried, giving them a bow. Ivy blinked in shock, to caught off guard to correct him. "Don't breathe a word of it."

He started to head off, but her Doctor called after him. "Although, can we come with you?"

Ivy's stomach twisted in her stomach, the thought of going to a funeral... even in a dream, terrified her. "No!" She snapped quickly.

"She's right." The other Doctor said, pointing at her. "It's far too dangerous. Rest assured I shall keep this city safe." He started off again, but stopped and turned toward them one last time. "Oh, and uh... Merry Christmas, Smith's."

"Merry Christmas, Doctor." Her's grinned, watching him go with a small smile. "Ha," He laughed, shaking his head as he began to head back out of the alley. "Would you believe that?"

"So he's another you?" She asked, following after him.

"Seems so." He said, shaking his head and running a hand through his hair. "Better help him though."

"Get his memories back?"

"That and in general. Something is... off." He muttered, his brow furrowing as they headed into the crowded street area in the same direction as the other Doctor. "Don't know what, but we need to find out."

She stopped in her tracks, causing him to look back at her in shock. "I'm not going to that funeral." She insisted, shaking her head and backing away from him. She didn't care if this was a dream, she wasn't going.

"Oh, no!" The Doctor cried, quickly coming to her side. He gave her a sympathetic look, gently rubbing her arm. "No. Of course not. I wouldn't make you do that, Ivy. I know... I know what they do to you."

She nodded slowly, pulling away from his caring grasp uncomfortably. He looked a bit hurt by the rejection, but quickly smoothed his features out. "Then what are we doing?" She asked, trying to change the subject as fast as she could. Even if he was some dream, she didn't want to get into all that.

"Making sure I don't get into too much trouble."

He steered her down some streets and within a few minutes they caught up with the other Doctor just as he sent Rosita away. The other women looked angry, but did as she was told dutifully. The other Doctor began to head toward a rather large house and her Doctor quickly grabbed onto her arm again, yanking her toward another door leading to the same house. He made quick work of opening the door with some sort of device that glowed blue at the end and made a sort of whirring noise.

"What is that?" She asked as he pulled her inside and slipped the device back into his pocket.

"Sonic screwdriver." He explained, but offered no other explanation. He quickly weaved around the items of the house to get to the door that the other Doctor was heading too. He jerked it open, revealing said Doctor with a surprised look on his face. "Hello!"

"How did you two get in?" He asked.

"Oh, front door. I'm good at doors." He looked down at something in the Doctor's hand curiously. "Um, do you mind my asking – is that your sonic screwdriver?"

The other Doctor smiled, holding up a very different looking device than the one her Doctor had just had out. If she wasn't mistaken, it looked like a normal screw driver. "Yeah. I'd be lost without it."

Her Doctor just stared at it, looking a bit unimpressed. "That's a screwdriver." He stated, looking at the wooden tool blankly. "How's it sonic?"

"Well, uh..." The other Doctor muttered, his brow furrowing a bit. "it makes a noise." He tapped the wooden end on the door frame, making a knocking noise. "Now, since we're acting like common burglars, I suggest we get out of plain view."

He brushed past the two of them, heading inside the large house as her Doctor shut the door behind him. "Is that what you're talking about something being 'off'?" Ivy asked quietly, looking up at her Doctor. He nodded, still staring after the other Doctor with a worried look on his face.

"This investigation of yours – what's it all about?"

"It started with a murder." The other Doctor said, getting to a desk and beginning to riffle through the drawers. Her Doctor came to stand next to him, nodding.

"Oh, good." Her Doctor mumbled, earning a look from the other Doctor. "Oh, I mean bad. Whose was it?" He quickly backtracked.

"Mr. Jackson Lake, a teacher of mathematics from Sussex. He came to London three weeks ago and died a terrible death." He snapped the drawer shut, giving them both a grave look.

"The Cyberthings?" Ivy asked, glancing curiously around the house.

"Cybermen." Her Doctor corrected.

"Hard to say. The body was never found." The other answered, glancing back up at them when he was done riffling through another drawer. "But then it stared – more secret murders, then abductions. Children... stolen away in silence."

Ivy's stomach twisted again at the mention of children and she closed her eyes briefly. _Just a dream, just a weird alien murder mystery dream..._ she reminded herself before her thoughts took her away to somewhere bad.

The Doctor threw down something on the desk loudly, drawing her out of her thoughts. He hurried over to the small table with books on it, flipping through a small one. "So who's house is this?" Her Doctor asked, watching the other run about the room.

"The latest murder- the Reverend Aubrey Fairchild, found with burns to his forehead, like some advanced form of electrocution."

"And who was he? Was he important?" Her Doctor asked, folding his arms and staring at the other in curiosity. The other looked up, giving him a look.

"You ask a lot of questions."

"We're your companions." Her Doctor shrugged, as if this explained everything. The other Doctor took it though, going back to his looking.

"The Reverend was the pillar of the community, a member of many Parish boards, and a keen advocate of children's charities."

"Children again." She muttered, shaking her head.

"But why would the cybermen want him dead?" Her Doctor asked quickly, watching as the other Doctor was walked toward him slowly, staring. "And what's his connection to the first death, this Jackson Lake?"

"It's funny." The other Doctor muttered, staring between the two of them. "I've told you everything, as though you engendered some sort of... trust." He looked them over carefully, his eyes lighting up a bit in what Ivy could only guess was recognition. "You two seem so familiar. I know your faces... but how?"

"I wonder..." Her Doctor said slowly, glancing down at the other Doctor's jacket. "I can't help but noticing you're wearing a fob watch."

Ivy glanced down just as the other Doctor did, staring at the small metal watch as well. "Is it important?"

"Legend has it that it has that the memories of a Time Lord can be contained within a watch." He whispered, coming closer to the Doctor. He lifted his hand, opening his palm. "Do you mind?"

Ivy watched as the Doctor handed it over to hers quickly, looking torn between excitement and fear. "It's said... that if it's opened..." He paused, anticipation building in the three of them before he pressed down and the watch snapped open to reveal...

A broken inside that flopped to the floor rather anticlimactically. She stared down at it, rolling her eyes and sighing.

"Ohhh. Maybe not." Her Doctor muttered, staring down at the broken piece with the other Doctor in disappointment.

"It's more for decoration." The other Doctor mumbled, picking up the piece.

"Yeah." Her Doctor sighed.

"Anyway," Ivy interrupted, trying to bring them back around to the matter at hand."Alien infiltration."

"Yes." The other Doctor cried, heading off toward another table to look for more information. "Look for anything different, possibly metal, anything that doesn't seem to belong." She supposed she should help a bit, so she turned, glancing around the bookcase for what he had described while her Doctor went in the opposite direction. The other Doctor was still prattling on for what they should look for behind her when she heard the same odd buzzing from before. She glanced back, catching sight of her Doctor waving the small device he had called his sonic screwdriver.

The other Doctor heard it too, because he stopped his searching abruptly. "Shh!" He ordered, just as her Doctor slid the sonic back inside his jacket. "What was that noise?"

Her Doctor turned, giving the other Doctor an innocent look. "Oh, it's just me... whistling." He muttered, before imitating the noise of the sonic in a whistle. She raised an eyebrow, not understanding why he was hiding his sonic... especially when it could possibly help them. The other Doctor gave him a frustrated look before turning back toward his area. "I wonder what's in here, though." Her Doctor said, pointing toward the desk he had been scanning.

The other Doctor joined him in front of it, watching as her Doctor opened it. "Ah." Her Doctor said, lifting some sort of metal tube up to examine. Ivy moved forward, trying to get a better look at it too. It was just a metal tube and sure didn't look alien to Ivy. But her Doctor certainly seemed excited by it. "Different and metal. You were right."

"That's alien?" Ivy muttered, raising an eyebrow and studying it. "What is it?"

"Infostamps." Her Doctor said, but quickly realized he seemed to be too confident because he looked over at the other Doctor and began to backtrack. "I mean, at a guess. Uh, if I were you, I'd say they worked something like this." He lifted it, glancing at it before pressing a button at the end. It lit up and she turned with the Doctor to stare at some sort of picture show flashing before her on the back wall. "See? Compressed information, tons of it."

Different images flashed before her, looking like old drawing of buildings and, if she wasn't mistaken there was even an image of Shakespeare. "Looks like parts of London." She muttered, recognizing a couple of other buildings. Her Doctor nodded, putting on a pair of glasses to study them as well.

"That is the history of London, 1066 to the present day." He said, continuing to watch the images flash by with fascination. "This is like a disk, a cyberdisk." He explained, looking at it curiously. "But why would the cybermen need something so simple?"

Her Doctor seemed to be too caught up in his own ramblings to notice the other Doctor fall into a chair next to them, a look of horror and pain on his face. "Um... Doctor?" She asked, turning toward him. Neither of them seemed to hear her, because the other Doctor continued staring down at the infostamp in his hand with that pained look and her Doctor was still rambling. "Doctor? Are you alright?" She asked again, shifting awkwardly next to him. She wasn't sure how to comfort him, especially when she barely knew him. Her Doctor seemed to finally notice something was wrong because he had stopped talking behind her and came to stand next to them.

"I'm fine." The other Doctor said hoarsely, clearly lying.

"No," Her Doctor whispered, coming to stand before him, kneeling down in front of him. "What's wrong?"

"I've seen one of these before." He mumbled, looking down at the infostamp with a faraway look. "I was holding... this device the night I lost my mind... the night I regenerated." He looked up at the two of them, his voice wavering and tears in his eyes. "The cybermen, they made me change – my mind, my face, my whole self." He cried, shaking his head sadly. Suddenly he reached out, his hand coming to rest on the side of her Doctors face, a desperate look on his face. "And you were there." He stared at her Doctor, his eyes crazed before he tore his gaze away to look at Ivy. "And you. Who are you two?" He growled, looking back at her Doctor.

"Friends... I swear." Her Doctor whispered, staring at the other Doctor with a worried expression. He looked over at Ivy, as if to look for conformation and she found herself nodding and giving him a shaky smile.

The other Doctor seemed to break, because his lip quivered again and his hand fell from her Doctors face. Ivy couldn't help but feel sorry for the man, even if he was just a figment of her imagination. He just looked so sad, so pathetic that she couldn't help it. "Then I beg you both, help me." He begged.

"Ah." Her Doctor whispered. "Two words we never refuse." He gave the other Doctor a brief smile and then popped up with a new excitement. The other Doctor still sat, looking suddenly extremely exhausted. Ivy couldn't help but reach out too, squeezing his shoulder briefly. "But it's not a conversation for a dead man's house." Her Doctor stated, tearing his glasses off. "This is a conversation for the TARDIS. Your, uh, TARDIS."

He was growing more excited, sprinting off into the house toward a closet door. He was still talking, but Ivy stared down at the Doctor before her worriedly. "Are you okay?" She whispered, growing more concerned by his lack of response.

He glanced at her, about to open his mouth before her Doctor interrupted a bit hurriedly. "I think we should run." She turned to ask what was wrong before she saw the white door fly off the hinges, revealing some sort of odd, mechanical man. She gaped, staring in fascination. Where was she coming up with this crap? Sure, she liked a bit of Sci-Fi here and there, but she didn't understand where she was getting this from.

"Wow..." She muttered, just as her Doctor came forward and grabbed the two of them and pulled them away.

"Delete!" The robot cried in a mechanical voice, making Ivy snort in amusement.

"Holy shit, this is getting ridiculous." She laughed, just as the Doctor shoved her and the other one threw a door, slamming it shut and sonicing it close. He whipped around, giving her a confused, alarmed look.

"What are you on about?" He asked, studying her for a moment before the robot on the other side slammed against the door. Her Doctor made a noise of alarm, not waiting for an answer before he grabbed them again, heading off down the hallway.

But that mechanical voice greeted them at the end, a robot cutting them off. "The Doctor will be deleted." It droned, stomping toward them. Her Doctor nearly yanked her arm off as he headed back down the hallway. But the other robot had kicked the door down and was heading toward them as well.

"Delete!" It cried, heading toward them as well. Ivy tried to get a better look at it, staring at the blank eye holes, the odd tubes around its head and the humanoid shaped body with wires lying just underneath.

"What are you doing?!" Her Doctor cried, grabbing her arm and jerking her away from the thing and shoving her up the stairs with the other Doctor. "Up stairs. Can't lead them outside." He ordered before he turned, grabbing something out of the umbrella holder next to the stairs. He fumbled with a sword before promptly dropping it. He quickly recovered though, if that's what you wanted to call it, by grabbing an umbrella out of the holder and opening it. He quickly seemed to realize how useless an item this was against a robot and promptly threw it away before looking around in alarm.

"Swords!" She cried, pointing frantically at the wall. He turned, giving a short laugh before turning around and grabbing it off the wall and flourishing it.

"Ah. I'm a dab hand with a cutlass." He snapped, swinging the thing at the robots. "You don't want to come near me when I've got one of these." He looked utterly ridiculous and the robots clearly weren't threatened in the slightest because they continued forward. "This is your last warning! No?"

"Clearly they aren't having it!" Ivy snapped, wishing he would hurry up the stairs. This may not be real and even if he was a bit annoying and cocky, she would rather not see him die.

"Okay," The Doctor breathed, waving the sword one last time. "This is really your last warning. Okay, I give up." He whipped around, finally heading up the steps toward her and the other Doctor.

"Delete!" The thing cried again.

Her Doctor turned halfway up the stairs, trying to reason with the robot. "Listen to me properly!" He cried, walking backwards up the steps as the things followed after him.

"Doctor, come on!" She snapped, shaking her head, panic replacing her fascination.

"Whatever you're doing stuck in 1851, I can help!" He tried to reason, but the thing slashed at him, which he quickly blocked with the sword. A spark actually flashed, causing her heart to speed up. "I mean it – I'm the only person in the world who can help you!"

"God! Just come on!" She cried, getting pulled further up the stairs by the other Doctor.

"Listen to me!"

"Delete!"

The thing smashed it's hand down again, but the Doctor was able to stop it with his sword once more. They fought, trying to overpower the other. "I'm the Doctor." He growled, his arms shaking from the weight. "You need me. Check your memory banks. My name's the Doctor! Leave these two alone! The Doctor is me!"

Ivy gave a cry of irritation, watching as the Doctor's hand shook again and he was pushed further into the corner. She quickly rushed forward, far more daring than she would have been in real life, but it helped that she knew she couldn't get hurt. She was about shove the thing back and grab the Doctor, but to her great shock the robots arm shot out far more quickly then she could have imagined, and she saw stars burst in her vision and pain spread across the side of her head. She fell back, her head spinning and her mind racing.

It had hit her. And it had hurt.

Bad.

"Now you've done it!" Her Doctor growled, before kicking out and sending the robots flying back and tumbling down the stairs. They didn't stop for long though and Ivy was still in shock from the pain. Her Doctor grabbed her arm, shoving her up the stairs quickly. "Go, Ivy! Go!"

"That hurt." She whispered, frozen and staring at the thing. She put her fingers to her temple where she had been hit, feeling something warm and when she looked at her hand, there was red. She was bleeding. Real blood. Her head was still spinning and she felt a different kind of panic filling her. This couldn't be real. This couldn't be.

Her Doctor whipped around, slashing at the metal men and saving her from taking another hit. "Take her!" He ordered the other Doctor. He seemed just as shocked, but quickly grabbed her arm and hulled her up the stairs and further away.

"You need me alive. You need the Doctor and that's me!" Her Doctor cried, fighting again with the robots. He got distracted again though, staring down at the infostamp with that faraway look again. Her Doctor fell back to the floor, the robots looming over him before a beam struck them. She whipped around, finding the other Doctor and the infostamp as the source of the fatal blow. The two robots began to spasm, making alarming noises before falling to their knees and their heads exploded.

Her Doctor was on his feet, beaming at the two headless robots before him. "Infostamp with a cyclo-steinham core!" He cried, staring in fascination.

Ivy fell into a nearby chair, her heart beating so loud it drowned out his rambling and talking to the other Doctor in the background. She stared as a single red drop fell onto her shaking hands, spreading and then slowly slipping down the side of her finger. "I'm bleeding." She whispered, lifting her shaking hand to stare at the red. "I'm bleeding." She repeated, her voice rising.

"Ivy!" Her Doctor cried, quickly coming to kneel in front of her with a worried look. "What were you thinking?" He muttered, whipping out his sonic screw driver and waving it all around her injured head. She looked up, meeting his deep brown eyes.

"I'm bleeding." She gasped, holding up her shaking hand as proof.

"She's growing hysterical." The other Doctor muttered, frowning at her. "This was no job for a women."

"I'll show you hysterical-" She started, but her Doctor quickly cut her off.

"I can take care of the bleeding." He said hastily, shaking his head and sighing. "Trying to take on cybermen..." He scoffed, giving her a stern look. "Testy and impulsive. Young you is exhausting."

"I'm bleeding!" She cried, shoving her hand in his face. He blinked, clearly not understanding why this was so alarming.

"I can heal it up-"

"You don't bleed in dreams!"

He stopped, his hand dropping to his side as he stared at her with even more worry. "Ivy... you thought this was a dream?" He asked slowly.

"Of course! It's 1851 and there are robots and a face changing alien!" She cried, wiping the blood away on her jeans hastily. The Doctor continued to stare at her worriedly, watching her scrub at her hand.

"Ivy." He said, his voice annoyingly calm. "Ivy, calm down." He reached out, grabbing her hand and stopping her. She immediately jerked away, but she stilled her hands, meeting his eyes again shakily.

"This is real." She whispered, earning an affirmative nod from him. Her eyes filled with tears, but she tried to blink them away. She hated crying and she certainly wasn't going to do it in front of these strangers. She stared down at her Doctor, waiting for some kind of indication that she was wrong or to even wake up, but it didn't happen.

"Yes." He whispered, shattering her. "It's very real."

**So there it is. Hopefully you like it. I'm still not sure of the ending there, but I hope it works. Let me know what you think!**

**Thanks :)**


	3. The Next Doctor: Part 2

**So thank you again to those of you who favorited, followed and reviewed! You're awesome and beautiful :) Here is the next chapter. Sorry it took so long, I had a paper due this week as well and didn't have much time. Please let me know what you think! Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Who, sadly. **

"Ivy!"

God, why hadn't she paid more attention? Now she was stuck in the middle of 18th century London, completely lost.

"Ivy, stop!"

She looked up, glancing at the nearest building. It looked familiar. She headed down the alley way closest to it, passing by a couple of people who gave her disheveled, bloodied state an odd look. The Doctor finally caught up with her though, grabbing her arm and jerking her to a stop. "Don't touch me!" She growled, jerking away from him. He sighed, running a hand through his gelled hair in frustration.

"Ivy, just-"

"Take me back." She snapped, glaring at him. "Take me back, now."

The Doctor closed his eyes, rubbing his face tiredly. "I will-"

"No!" She cried, causing a couple of people to look at the two of them oddly. A women scoffed at them, shaking her head as they brushed past. "I didn't ask for this. I didn't want this. I have a life. A normal, stupid life and I don't want... this!" She waved her hand at the old London buildings. "I want to go home."

He stared down at her, those odd brown eyes filled with what looked like pain. She didn't care though. She just wanted to go home. "I'll take you home." He said slowly, shoving his hands into brown coat. "After we figure this out, I'll take you home. I swear."

She shook her head, about to argue but he cut her off quickly, taking a step closer. "These people are in danger, Ivy. The cybermen want nothing more than to convert humans... that means killing them. And that man..." He glanced back where they came from, where they had left the other Doctor. "That man isn't a future me. I'm becoming more and more sure of it. I think he's confused and needs our help as well."

"I don't care!" She snapped, backing away. Because if this was real, she really did feel bad for those who had been murdered by those creatures and the other Doctor. But she couldn't do it. She couldn't get caught up in this. She wanted her crappy apartment and her job and her dog back.

"Yes you do." The Doctor said softly, staring down at her with a knowing look in his eye.

"No," she hissed. "I don't." She turned on her heel again, looking about as she began to head back toward the TARDIS.

"Not even about the children?"

She stopped, her stomach twisting painfully. She reluctantly turned, folding her arms and staring at him. "What are you talking about?"

He walked toward her again, a grave look on his handsome face. "The man who was murdered, he worked with children. And the other Doctor said it himself... children were taken as well."

She pictured it, poor children being taken by those horrible things and she felt a flare of pain in her chest. Her anger and resolve were wearing down at the very thought. If there was one thing she couldn't stand, it was innocent children suffering. "W-what am I supposed to do?" She muttered, shifting angrily as the snow blew about them. "I'm not... some brilliant alien with a fancy screwdriver. I'm just some human girl. I'm no one."

The Doctor smiled though, shaking his head. "Oooh, that's not true. You humans, you're always brilliant." He paused, giving her a slightly unsure look before adding, "Especially you."

She shifted uncomfortably, not liking the way he was looking at her. Like he knew everything about her. "After, you take me home." She ordered, giving him a stern glare.

"Course." He nodded, obviously trying to control the triumphant smile breaking out on his face.

"And you leave me alone. Forever."

The smile slid from his face, that deep sadness flickering in his eyes again. He pursed his lips and gave a jerky nod. "Alright." He muttered, digging his hands deeper into his pockets. "Deal."

She nodded again, already wondering what in the hell she had gotten herself into. "Lets get it over with then."

~DW~

"The story begins with the cybermen." The Doctor started, staring at the fake Doctor and Rosita intently. After looking in through the luggage and seeing the fake, very balloon like TARDIS, the Doctor had insisted he knew what was happening to this man calling himself Doctor. "A long time away, and not so far from here, the cybermen were fought and they were beaten. And they were sent into a howling wilderness called the void, locked inside forevermore." The Doctor started, looking between the three of them from his spot on the luggage. "But then a greater battle rose up, so great that everything inside the void perished. But as the walls of the world weakened, the last of the cybermen must have fallen through the dimensions, back in time to land here, and they found you."

"I fought them – I know that." The fake Doctor muttered. "But what happened?"

"At the same time, another man came to London... Mr. Jackson Lake." He glanced back at the luggage around them, before looking back at the fake Doctor. Ivy raised an eyebrow, wondering where he was going with this. She felt like she knew, but she couldn't connect all the dots. "Plenty of luggage, money in his pocket. Maybe coming to town for the winter season – I don't know. But he found the cybermen, too. And just like you- exactly like you- he took hold of an infostamp."

It clicked inside Ivy's head... the fact they had not found the body of Jackson Lake, the memory loss... the dress she had found earlier in the luggage. She closed her eyes, feeling horribly sorry for the man. The dress is was got her the most. Jackson Lake was here as the Doctor... but where was the women who owned the dress? She felt sick, thinking what those cybermen could have done to the poor women.

"But he's dead. Jackson Lake is dead. The cybermen murdered him."

"You said no body was ever found." Ivy whispered, earning a look from the Doctor. She met his eyes, saw the sympathy and sadness there and she knew without a doubt her suspicions were right.

"And you kept all of his luggage." The Doctor continued, looking back at the two of them gravely. "But you could never bring yourself to open them."

She could see it slowly dawning on Jackson as well. He didn't look like he wanted to believe it, but she could see it in his eyes.

"I told you the answer was in the fob watch." The Doctor whispered, glancing down at where it rested in the other man's jacket. "Can I see it?" He slowly pulled it out, gingerly handing the watch over to the Doctor. The Doctor took it, holding the blank side out to them before turning it over to reveal the 'JL' in fancy script. "JL. The watch is Jackson Lake's."

The confused man's face screwed up, the reality hitting him full force. Ivy almost wanted to reach out for him, but she knew no matter what she did, it wouldn't help. "Jackson Lake is... you, sir?" Rosita asked, staring at the man next to her in confusion.

"But I'm the Doctor." Jackson insisted, fear and pain in his blue eyes. But she could also see the delusion slowly falling apart before him.

"You became the Doctor because the infostamp you picked up," The Doctor grabbed it, flipping it in the air. "Was a book about one particular man." He aimed the infostamp, lighting up the wall before them. The face of an older man with long white hair looked out at her, flashing to another old man with dark black hair. "The cybermen's database." More men flashed by, one with a wild mass of curls, another with a youthful face. "Stolen from the Dalek's inside the void, I'd say. But it's everything you could want to know about the Doctor." A couple of other men flashed by before the Doctor before them came on, all disheveled hair and the nice suit.

"That's you." Jackson whispered, turning to the Doctor with wide eyes.

"Time Lord, TARDIS, enemy of the cybermen?" He clicked his tongue, looking at the two of them. "The one and the only."

He unclicked the infostamp, letting it fall to the side. Jackson sighed, burying his face in his hands and his shoulders slumping. The poor man.

"You see, the infostamp must have backfired, streamed all that information about me... right inside your head."

Jackson's eyes filled with tears, breathing hard as he began to remember. Ivy could see him coming to terms slowly with the reality of what had happened. "I am nothing but a lie." He sighed, his voice wavering.

To her surprise, the Doctor quickly leaned forward, adamantly shaking his head. "No, no, no, no." He said quickly. "Infostamps are just facts and figures. All that bravery... saving Rosita, defending London Town... hmm? And the invention, building a TARDIS, that's all you." He assured him, smiling at the man kindly.

"You were working to save these people far before we came here." Ivy added, smiling softly at Jackson as he gazed at her. "_You _were doing that."

"Yes." The Doctor agreed, nodding. "You did all that."

"And what else?" Jackson growled, looking up at them with wild eyes suddenly. The smile slowly slid from the Doctor's face and she knew he had caught on to the women's clothing as well. "Tell me what else."

"There's still something missing, isn't there?"

"I demand you tell me, sir!" Jackson cried, shaking as he stared down the Doctor. He looked over at Ivy as well, glaring. "Tell me what they took."

Ivy closed her eyes as the Doctor slowly leaned away from Jackson, a terrible sadness in his eyes. "Sorry." He whispered. "Really, I am so sorry. But that's an awful lot of luggage for one man. 'Cause an infostamp is plain technology. It's not enough to make a man lose his mind. What you suffered is called a fugue... a fugue state where the mind just runs away, because it can't bear to look back." Jackson closed his eyes, pain etched into his features. "You wanted to become someone else, because Jackson Lake had lost so much."

There was a pause and a bell tolled outside, echoing through the barn. "Midnight – Christmas day." Rosita whispered, looking sad despite that happy thought.

"I remember." Jackson whispered, his face filling with sorrow. "Oh, my God. Caroline. They killed my wife." He broke then, the full reality hitting him. His chin shook, tears filling his eyes as he began to cry. "They killed her." Rosita leaned close, rubbing his back soothingly. But Ivy knew... there was no comforting someone in this situation. Nothing could be done or said to make him feel better.

"_Nathan?" She whispered, struggling to lift herself up from the hospital bed. The nurse pushed her back, her hands strong and gentle at the same time. _

"_Calm down, sweetheart. Just lay back-"_

"_Where is he? Where's Nathan?" She begged, still struggling despite the intense pain in her stomach and chest. The women paused, something flickering on her face that made Ivy freeze and stare at her. "Where is he?" She demanded, her heart beating wildly in her chest._

"_Just lie back, honny." She urged, her sad blue eyes not meeting hers. _

"_No..." She whispered, a terrible, deep pain knocking the wind out of her. Tears filled her eyes, slipping down her pale cheeks. "Please... where is he?" _

"_I'm so sorry, sweetie." The nurse whispered, her hand slipping away from her. She didn't need to restrain her anymore. There was no one to run to, no one to find._

_He was dead. _

Suddenly, the infostamp emitted a loud beeping and the end lit up, causing the Doctor to lift it curiously. The other one under his jacket started as well and Ivy turned, hearing some other muffled beeping behind them. The Doctor jumped up, following after her as she made her way toward the trunks of luggage. She leaned closer to the luggage, trying to find which one it was coming from, before opening the one to reveal a long string of infostamps. "You found a whole cache of infostamps." He said, giving the string an impressed look.

"Why are they beeping like that? What's happening?" Ivy asked, getting a bit annoyed with his excitement. If those stamps belonged to those cybermen, then the beeping couldn't be anything good.

"Activation... a call to arms." He muttered, his head snapping up in alarm. "The cybermen are moving." Without warning he took off, running on his long legs out the door and into the snow. Ivy made a noise of irritation, following after him to the door and watching him head out.

"Doctor!" She cried, torn between following him and staying with the wounded Jackson Lake behind her. She looked back at him, taking in his sad appearance and broken stance. "Shit."

"He needs help." Jackson said, tearing her eyes away from the outside. He patted Rosita's leg gently, pulling himself up from his seat. "I learned that much about him. There should be someone at his side." He looked up at Ivy and Rosita, tears still shinning in his eyes. He gave a shaky smile, nodding toward the door. "Go, now. The both of you. Go."

Ivy bit her lip, meeting Rosita's eyes as she turned and headed for the door. She paused, clearly waiting on Ivy. "Jackson-"

"Go, Ivy." He ordered, his voice becoming firm. "He always needs you most of all."

She stared, scared and completely confused by that statement. She hated all of this. The way the Doctor seemed to know her so well, the craziness of these aliens, the time travel, and the memories that she had worked so hard to repress that were coming to the surface all over again. She didn't want to go and face those... _things _again. She just wanted to go home.

But she knew she had too. She knew what was at stake if she didn't. So she took a deep breath, steeled herself and followed after Rosita and the Doctor. She was greeted with a long line of children heading through the square, bedraggled and clearly freezing. The Doctor stood in front of them, watching them pass with an alarmed look on his face. "What is it?" She asked, staring worriedly at the children.

"That's Mr. Cole!" Rosita cried, looking toward the back of the line at a tall, older man marching behind the children, as though herding them. "He's master of the Hazel Street Workhouse. Maybe he's taking them to prayers."

"What the hell is in his ear?" Ivy asked, catching a glance of the odd metal devices that seemed to be attached to his ears.

"Can you hear me?" The Doctor called after him, following Mr. Cole and coming to his side. "Hello!" He cried, not even earning a glance in his direction from Mr. Cole. Instead, the old man stared straight ahead, a blank look on his wrinkled face. "No? Mr. Cole, you seem to have something in your ear. Now," He reached into his pocket, fumbling around for what she assumed was his sonic screwdriver. "This might hurt a bit, but if I can just..."

The Doctor was interrupted by a loud, menacing growling and they all turned to find one of the robot/creature hybrids that they had nearly been killed by earlier that day. The Doctor glared at the thing, quickly shoving his sonic back in his jacket. "Oh, they're on guard. Can't risk a fight, not with the children."

Ivy felt her stomach lurch, fear filling her as she stared at that thing and hating how close it was to the poor kids. "We can't let those things near them." Ivy said, her voice wavering with the fear that was threatening to overwhelm her. The Doctor suddenly reached out, laying a hand gently on her shoulder.

"We won't." He assured her, squeezing lightly. She met his eyes, seeing the deep sincerity there and for the first time during this whole thing... she trusted him. Because she could see how much he cared, how much he wanted... needed to save these kids as well.

"Where are they going?" Rosita asked, staring off after the group of children. Jed came from the side suddenly, looking after them as well.

"They all need a good whipping, if you ask me." He turned toward them, looking irritated. "There's tons of them. I've just seen another lot coming down from the Ingleby workhouse, down Broadback lane."

"Where's that?" The Doctor asked, looking toward Rosita urgently.

"This way."

The three of them took off down an alley, running past a couple stumbling drunkenly around, before turning a couple of times and then stopping when they came across another group of children being herded by a nicely dressed man with that metal in his ears. "There's dozens of them!" Rosita cried, shaking her head.

"But what for?" The Doctor asked, slowly walking with the group. They followed after them for a bit longer before the Doctor grabbed her and Rosita's arms, yanking them behind a large piece of wood.

"What-" She started, but he quickly put his hand over her mouth, nodding toward something. She glanced up, catching sight of some cybermen standing in front of a pair of doors as the children entered. Ivy quickly got out of his grasp, hating how close the children were to those horrible things. "We have to do something-"

The Doctor gripped her arm, pulling her a bit closer and giving her a warning look. "We figure out what's going on and we will. Don't go running off, you understand?"

She glared at him, a flare of anger in her chest. "Those kids are walking right into danger-"

"And so will you if you get all impulsive." He snapped back, whipping around to look at Rosita. Ivy glared at the back of his head, fighting the urge to punch him. "Where do those lead?"

"That's the door to the sluice. All the sewage runs through there, straight into the Thames." Rosita explained.

"Nah, that's too well-guarded." The Doctor muttered, deliberating for a moment before jumping up when the cybermen were out of view. "We'll have to find another way in." They took off, only taking a couple of steps before they came face to face with two cybermen, tall and imposing "That's cheating – sneaking up." The Doctor cried, taking a step in front of Ivy. "Do you have your legs on 'silent'?"

A women came forward, dressed in a blood red, silk dress. She had a severe kind of beauty, all pale and sharp edges and dark hair. She came to stand before the cybermen, glancing at the three of them curiously. "So... what do we have here?"

The Doctor quickly began to beckon her toward them, fearful for her safety when she stood so close to the cybermen. But Ivy could already tell something was wrong with the women, who looked to at ease around the metal men. Her suspicions were confirmed when she smiled nonchalantly at the Doctor when he begged her to come away from them. "Oh," She purred, her red lips turning up. "But they wouldn't hurt me- my fine boys. They are my knights in shining armor, quite literally."

"Even if they've converted you, that's not a cyber-speech pattern. You've still got free will. I'm telling you, step away."

"She's got free will because they didn't have to take it from her." Ivy whispered, glaring around the Doctor at the women.

She gave a little laugh, her eyes flickering toward Ivy. "Smart, you are. She's correct. No one's ever been able to change my mind. The Cybermen offered me the one thing I wanted... liberation."

"Who are ya?" Rosita asked.

The women's eyes flicked toward Rosita, glaring at her. "You can be quiet. I doubt he paid you to talk."

"You stupid-" Ivy started, not liking the way she was talking to Rosita, taking a step forward but the Doctor quickly blocked her path. The women gave an amused smile, like she was a silly little child throwing a tantrum.

"More importantly, who are you, sir, with such an intimate knowledge of my companions?" The women asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I'm the Doctor." He stated.

"Incorrect." The cybermen to the left beeped, its mouth lighting up. "You do not correspond to our image of the Doctor."

"Yeah," He muttered, shrugging. "But that's 'cause your database got corrupted. Oh, look, look, look." He paused, pulling the infostamp from earlier out of his pocket. "Check this- the Doctor's infostamp." He tossed the metal tube toward the still cybermen, who caught it with a clank. "Plug it in. Go on, download."

The cybermen stared down at it, before looking back up at the Doctor. "The core has been damaged." He said, staring at them blankly. "This infostamp would damage cyberunits."

The Doctor squirmed, looking a bit sheepish at being caught. Ivy couldn't help but be a bit impressed with the thought though. "Oh, well, nice try." He mumbled, shrugging.

The cybermen looked down at the infostamp again, a couple of beeping issuing from it before it looked up at them again. "Core repaired. Download." It's chest opened, revealing a port for the infostamp and sticking it into it. After a moment it ripped it out, it's black eyes looking them over. "You are the Doctor."

"Hello." The Doctor said, waving his fingers at the robots.

"You will be deleted." The cybermen droned, but the Doctor quickly waved his hands in alarm.

"No, no. But let me die happy." The Doctor cried, backing up a bit. "Just tell me one thing... what do you need those children for?"

"What are children ever needed for?" The women asked, her red lips turning up into a mocking smile. "They're a workforce."

"For what?" Ivy demanded, her anger overtaking everything else. She wanted to wipe that smug look off that women's face.

"Very soon now, the whole empire will see and they will bow down."

"And it's all been timed for Christmas day. Was that your idea, Miss..." The Doctor asked, looking at her curiously.

"Hartigan, and yes." She grinned. "The perfect day for a birth, with a new message for the people... only this time, it won't be the words of a man."

"The birth of what?" The Doctor asked, clearly growing more worried.

"A birth and a death... namely, yours." Her smile turned icy. "I'm glad to have been part of your very last conversation. Now... delete them."

"Delete." The cybermen cried, marching toward them. The Doctor quickly pushed her and Rosita back, trying to protect them but it wasn't needed. The cybermen's head lit up like before, electricity crackling before they fell to their knees, revealing Jackson just behind them with the row of infostamps wrapped around his chest. He looked exactly like some great hero in the movies, all dramatic and handsome and Ivy couldn't help but smile.

"At your service, Doctor."

"Shade! Shade!" Miss Hartigan cried and one of the half robot, half animal came running toward them. The Doctor quickly grabbed Ivy's arm, pulling her and Rosita away.

"Run! Come on!"

They both listened, heading past Miss Hartigan as she continued to cry out for the shade. But just before, Rosita turned. "Oh, one thing." She growled, before pulling her arm back and punching Miss. Hartigan straight across the face. Ivy gave a whoop of laughter, staring down at the dazed women.

"Ooh! Can I say... I completely disapprove." The Doctor cried, staring down at the women with wide eyes before pulling Rosita back.

"I don't! That was awesome!" Ivy laughed. Rosita gave a cocky smile before the Doctor scoffed and shoved them away again.

~DW~

"What do the cybermen want?" Rosita asked, lifting her skirts a bit higher as they made their way through the sewers. It smelled and Ivy wanted nothing more than to get out. _Help the kids, help the kids. _She thought, trying to ignore how wet her shoes and clothes were getting wet.

"They want us." The Doctor said, glancing back at them. "That's what cybermen are... human beings with their brains put into metal shells."

"Those things used to be human?" Ivy asked in shock. Despite what he creatures were doing, she couldn't help but feel sorry for them. Had it hurt? Had those people suffered?

"Yes." The Doctor answered. "They want every living thing to be like them."

Ivy shook her head, frowning. "They aren't people anymore, right? We can't save them somehow?"

The Doctor sighed, glancing over at her with a sad look and she already knew the answer. "No. Once they're converted... there is no helping them."

They lapsed into a tense silence, continuing down the tunnel. They twisted and turned before coming to an opening. They crouched down, looking through to see groups of children doing various different jobs as Cybermen walked about. A tall, metal machine was in the background with gears turning and steam blowing out. It was huge and like nothing Ivy had ever seen.

"Upon my soul..." Jackson muttered.

"What is it?" Rosita asked, staring up at the thing in amazement.

"It's an engine." The Doctor whispered, looking a little dazed by the thing himself. "They're generating electricity, but what for?"

"We can set them free." Jackson said, quickly trying to stand and make his way toward the children, but the Doctor quickly stopped him.

"No, no, no, no, no." He said, holding him back. He stood then, heading back down the tunnel. Rosita followed after, but Ivy stayed behind with Jackson.

"We'll help them." She assured him, giving him a reassuring smile. Jackson looked at her, still clearly worried for the children, but he got up and followed after her when she went back to find the Doctor. They found him staring at what looked like a computer screen, but as tapped his knuckle on the screen, the picture fuzzed and blurred.

"Hold on." The Doctor muttered. "Power fluctuation... that's not meant to happen."

"It's going wrong?" Jackson asked, looking at the thing curiously.

"No, it's weird. The software's rewriting itself. It's changing." He muttered, clearly confused by what was happening. He squinted at it, leaning a bit closer before the thing suddenly sparked, nearly hitting him in the face. "Whoa! What the hell's happening? It's out of control!"

Red numbers flashing on the screen, scrolling higher and higher at an alarming rate. "It's accelerating... 96%, 97%." Jackson read, looking back at the Doctor in alarm.

"When it reaches 100%, what about the children?" Ivy asked quickly, looking over at the Doctor urgently. He looked back at her, his eyes widening as he ripped his glasses off.

"They're disposable. Come on!"

~DW~

They quickly ushered the children out, waving them out the door as fast as they could. "Come on. Come on. Come on." The Doctor urged, spinning and looking around to make sure the last of the little kids had made it out. A few stragglers were left behind, but they were quickly heading out on their little legs. The Doctor made his way toward another part of the engine, his intelligent eyes flickering over it and trying to figure it out. "It's some sort of starter motor, but starting what?" He asked, analyzing the machine.

"Uh... could it be a ship?" Ivy asked, staring at the metal uselessly. For the millionth time, she wondered what the hell she was doing here. She wasn't as smart as the Doctor and she had no idea what to do.

"Don't know." The Doctor mumbled, leaning a bit closer.

"Doctor, that's my son! Doctor, my son!" Jackson cried, alarming the both of them. Ivy whipped around, following after the Doctor as he headed toward the hysterical Jackson staring up toward the ceiling.

"What?" Ivy asked, her heart thudding in her chest.

"They took my son!" Jackson sobbed, staring up at a young boy standing on a ledge above. He stared down at them with big, fearful eyes, looking frozen in shock. "No wonder my mind escaped. Those damned cybermen, they took my child! But he's alive!" Jackson cried, pointing at the boy urgently.

"We have to get him." Ivy said, looking over at the Doctor. He nodded, hurriedly running toward the ledge.

"Come on!" The Doctor cried, trying to get the boy down. But he was too scared, stuck on the edge from fear.

"Oh, he's too scared. Stay there!" Jackson ordered, looking around to try to find a way up. "Don't move! I'm coming!" He made a dash for the stairs, but just as he was about to set foot on the first one, flames burst forward, nearly setting him on fire. The whole room began to shake, the metal creaking ominously. He fell back and Ivy came to his side.

"Are you alright?" She asked, pulling him to his feet. He didn't answer, completely unconcerned for his own safety. He only had eyes for his son.

"I can't get up there. Fred!"

"They've finished with the motor. It's gonna blow up!" The Doctor yelled and Ivy saw more areas burst into flames, sparking and flaring.

"Doctor, we have to get the boy." Ivy urged, fear clenching in her chest as she glanced up at the small Fred.

"What are we going to do?!" Jackson cried.

The Doctor grabbed the sword at Jackson's side, pulling it out with a flare. "Come on, Jackson." He grinned, heading over to a large rope and wrapping his arm in it. "You know me." He turned, winking cheekily at Ivy just before he slashed the rope and it jerked him upward, sailing up toward Fred. Ivy couldn't help but laugh, watching in disbelief as he jumped onto the platform, landing just before the boy. "Oh, hello!" Ivy heard him say. "Now, hold on tight. Don't let go."

The Doctor put the boy on his back and just in time, he grabbed the rope and sailed across the gap, avoiding another flare of flames. Ivy's heart was beating out of her chest, from fear and adrenaline alike, as she desperately tried to find where the Doctor and Fred had landed in the smoke. "Doctor!" She called, becoming alarmed. But there he was, running through the smoke with Fred in his arms. He stopped before Jackson, handing the boy over with a grin.

"Merry Christmas." He said. Jackson's face broke out into a smile and he wrapped his arms around his son tightly.

"That was amazing." Ivy laughed before wrapping her own arms around the Doctor, surprising herself and him. But she was just so glad that he and Fred were okay. He hugged her back, his thin arms surprisingly strong. But suddenly there was another loud rumble and they broke apart, running toward the exit as quickly as they could. The place was sparking and blowing up, the heat becoming almost unbearable. Ivy covered her mouth, trying to dodge the various sparks and debris heading for her. They finally made their way back to the cellar, flying past the machine and toward the door.

The Doctor stopped before the machine though, tinkering around with it for a moment. "Hurry up!" She urged, just as something came shooting out of the thing into the air. The Doctor caught it, gripped it tightly and continued through the door with them. They made their way out to the snow covered street but came to a halting stop when the caught sight of a massive robot looming over them in the sky. It was dozens of feet tall, towering over the city threateningly.

"It's a cyberking!" The Doctor yelled in alarm, his eyes wide as he took in the sight of it. Whatever that was, Ivy could already tell it wasn't good.

"And that is?" Ivy asked, almost dreading the answer.

"It's a ship, dreadnought class... front line of an invasion. And inside the chest, a cyberfactory, ready to convert millions."

Ivy felt a cold dread fill her as she look up at the thing. "God..." She whispered, her hands tightening into fists to try to stop the shaking. What in the _hell _was she doing here?

"I will stride across this tiny... little world." A robot, female voice boom through London, just as the thing began to stride out of the water and into the city. It's foot smashed down, crunching the brick buildings in its way as though it was nothing. She hoped to God no one was inside them.

"Come on." The Doctor urged, grabbing Ivy's arm and pulling her through the streets and away from the giant. "Just head south." He said, looking between Jackson and Ivy. "Head south through the parkland."

"Where are you going?" Jackson asked, staring at him in confusion.

"To stop that thing." He said simply, as though this wasn't a potentially deadly situation.

"But I should be with you." Jackson cried, but the Doctor shook his head adamantly.

"Jackson, you've got your son. You've got a reason to live." The Doctor said, giving him a stern look.

"And you haven't?"

The Doctor's face fell, his brown eyes flickering toward Ivy for a brief moment, something deep and intense in them. It was sadness and fear and something else that Ivy couldn't or didn't want to name. It made her stomach twist uncomfortably and she fought the urge to run away from that look. It terrified her. He looked away though, just as quickly as he had looked, his eyes falling back on Jackson. "Take her with you." The Doctor ordered.

Jackson nodded dutifully, his hand coming to rest on Ivy's shoulder. "God save you, Doctor." He said gravely. Before Ivy could even protest, the Doctor took off, sprinting on his long legs through the streets. Ivy quickly tried to tear away from Jackson, but he caught her arm tightly.

"Get off!" She snapped, struggling to get away.

"I will do as he asks-"

"He's not going alone!" She yelled, finally tearing away from Jackson and tearing off after the Doctor. She wasn't sure why. She was scared and had no idea what he was planning, but she knew she couldn't let him go alone. That lonely look in his eyes... it was a look she had seen so many times before when she looked into the mirror.

She ran through the snow covered streets, trying to catch up to him. She caught sight of that brown suit, a bit of relief filling her. "Doctor!"

He stopped, turning back toward her with a mixture of anger and worry on his face. "Ivy! I told you to go-"

"Oh, shut up!" She snapped, glaring up at him. "You made me stay to help, so I'm helping."

He blew out an angry sigh, running his hand free hand through his hair. "You're gonna be the death of me." He growled, but despite the anger in his eyes, she saw a glint of amusement. "Come on."

They went back to the stables, grabbed some infostamps and after some bribing, were able to get Jed to help them into the TARDIS. Ivy still wasn't sure what the Doctor's plan was, not having time to ask as they tried to quickly get the balloon up in the air. The Doctor didn't even know how to fly the thing and she sure as hell didn't either.

"Throw this over." He ordered, handing her a rather heavy sack. She did as she was told, tossing it over and hoping it didn't land on Jed below. They continued to sore upward, coming closer and closer to the head of the cyber ship.

"Are we going to kill them?!" Ivy yelled over the wind, looking at the string of infostamps and the thing he had brought from the machine inside the cellar.

"No." The Doctor called back, holding steadily onto the balloon as the thing began to turn toward them. "We're going to help."

Ivy raised an eyebrow, wondering what on Earth they could possibly to do help that thing as he began to wrap the string of infostamps around his arm. He pushed her back as the thing stared back at them. Ivy squinted, taking in the familiar bright red dress and dark hair of Miss. Hartigan through the open mouth of the machine.

"Excellent. The Doctor- yet another man come to assert himself against me in the night." Miss Hartigan's voice boomed, but with a robotic edge.

"Miss. Hartigan, I'm offering you a choice!" The Doctor yelled back. "You might have the most remarkable mind this world has ever seen, strong enough to control the cybermen themselves."

"I don't need you to sanction me." Miss Hartigan scoffed.

"No, but such a mind deserves to live. The cybermen came to this world using a dimension vault. I can use that device to find you a home, with no people to convert, but a new world, where you can live out your mechanical life in peace." The Doctor said, gripping the infostamps tightly at his side. Ivy felt her heart beat wildly in her chest, hoping Miss Hartigan took the deal. But of course, it couldn't be that easy.

"I have the world below." She said simply. "And it is abundant with so many minds, ready to become extensions of me. Why would I leave this place?"

"Because if you don't, I'll have to stop you." He said, his voice grave. Ivy glanced at him and to her surprise, he almost looked reluctant. Sad. Even with all the pain and suffering the women and creatures had caused... he didn't want to hurt them.

"What do you make of me, sir, an idiot?"

"No." He sighed. "The question is, what do _you_ make of _me?_" He lifted his arm, his finger pausing on the end of the infostamp. "You make me into this."

A beam of electricity shot out the end, straight into the mouth toward Miss Hartigan. But she didn't scream, didn't die like the other cybermen from before. In fact... nothing happened. "Did it not work?" She asked, her alarm growing.

"It worked." He whispered back, but he didn't sound happy about it.

"Then I have made you a failure!" Miss Hartigan taunted him, her voice booming over the speakers just as before. "Your weapons are useless, sir."

"I wasn't trying to kill you. All I did was break the cyber-connection... leaving your mind open—open, I think, for the first time in far too many years. So you can see." Inside the mouth, Ivy could see the Cybermen turning toward Miss Hartigan, who stared back with wide eyes. "Just look at yourself. Look at what you've become. I'm sorry, Miss Hartigan, but look at what you've become."

Suddenly she screamed and Ivy could see her twisting frantically inside. She actually felt a bit of sympathy for the women as she struggled, clearly fearful. "I'm so sorry." The Doctor whispered, staring on with sad eyes. She continued screaming and electricity began to crackle inside, obscuring the cybermen and Miss Hartigan before the inside began to blow up and they were gone. The robot began to stumble, parts of its body exploding as it fell apart.

"It's going to fall." Ivy gasped, grabbing into the Doctor's arm in alarm. But the long, gun like device next to her began to beep and the Doctor grabbed it in excitement.

"Now you're ready!" He rejoiced, cocking it like a gun and pointing it at the thing. An odd light began to emit from it, surrounding the thing in odd rings. It only took a couple of seconds, but the thing slowly faded away and was completely gone.

"Wh-what?"

"Dimension vault." He said, giving her a small smile. "Sent it away through the vortex. It'll denigrate there."

"I'll pretend like I understand." She muttered, earning another small grin from him. He stared at the empty space, a dejected look still on his face. "You did it. You saved them."

He glanced at her, his face softening just a bit before cheers reached Ivy's ears. She glanced down with the Doctor, listening to the people down below crying out in thanks and clapping. Ivy grinned, taking in all the safe people and letting the relief wash over her. The Doctor lay his hand on her back suddenly, that sadness fading away to a plain, happy smile. "We did it." He said, wrapping his arm around her and squeezing her to his side. She felt slightly uncomfortable being so close to him, her old habit of pushing people away taking over, but she kept where she was. Because he was right. And she was happy.

~DW~

Ivy sat little Fred down on the ground, straightening his little jacket and smiling. "You be good for your father and Rosita, okay?" She ordered, giving him a playfully stern look. He grinned at her, the corners of his bright blue eyes crinkling.

"Yes, ma'am." He said, looking down at the ground and kicking at some snow.

"Good boy." She laughed, standing up straight and looking toward Jackson and Rosita. "This is goodbye, I guess."

"It was amazing to meet you, Miss Ivy." Jackson said kindly, extending his hand to her and shaking it.

"You too. Both of you." She said, extending her hand to Rosita. But the fiery women wasn't having it. Instead she wrapped her arms around her, hugging her tightly. Ivy grunted, patting her uncomfortably on the back as Jackson laughed at the two of them.

"You two stay safe now, you hear?" Rosita ordered, giving her and the Doctor firm looks. The Doctor grinned back, nodding reassuringly.

"Course." He said, shaking Jackson's hand and hugging Rosita as well. "Good-bye."

Ivy waved one last time at little Fred, taking in that cute face one last time before turning and following after the Doctor toward the TARDIS. "God, he was adorable." She gushed as they rounded the corner, heading toward the TARDIS.

"He was a cute kid." The Doctor agreed, pulling his key out and opening the door. "Didn't think he was going to let you leave."

Ivy smiled, slowly walking up the grated stairs toward the consol. "Rosita and Jackson will take good care of him."

The Doctor nodded, his fingers skimming gently over the metal of the console before he slowly turned toward her. "Home, then?"

She stared at him, taking in those sad, lonely brown eyes and, to her surprise, she actually felt unsure. "You said... you said that I bounce around your timeline. So I've already been around with you." She paused, frowning. "Do I even have the option of going home?"

"Course you do." He said, leaning back against the console and folding his arms. "I don't know how long you'll stay though."

"What does that mean?" She asked, stepping closer and looking at him fearfully. He sighed, reluctantly glancing up at her.

"I still don't know why, but you just show up. Suddenly, in this flash of light, you'll be there. And you'll leave the same way." He explained slowly, watching her carefully. "You can't control it... and neither can I."

She closed her eyes, biting down on her lip to stop from crying. "You're saying I can never go home." She whispered, her voice shaking dangerously.

"Ivy..." The Doctor sighed, reaching out for her, but his hand dropped when he thought better of it. "I'm sorry."

"Why?" She whispered, a tear slowly slipping down her cheek. "Why me? Why now? I was getting my life together. I was starting to get better-"

"I know." He said, stepping closer. "I know and I'm sorry. I've tried to fix it. I have. But I don't even know what causes it. I swear to you, Ivy."

She looked up at him, wiping the tears away unsteadily. Somehow, as she looking into his eyes, she knew he was telling the truth. This stranger, who had run off to save an entire city by himself, who had chosen to save instead of kill, she knew he wasn't a bad man. She didn't know him that well, but she at least knew that much. "I don't want this." She said, sounding pathetic and small.

He closed his eyes briefly, his fingers twitching on the console. "I'm sorry, Ivy."

"H-how do I get back to that bedroom?" She asked, wiping at her cheeks again and looking away. "I just... I need-"

"Down the hallway. The TARDIS will get you there." He said, turning away from her and leaning against the console. She quickly made her way toward where he was pointing, pausing to glance back at him. His shoulders were tight and hunched, looking completely defeated despite the fact that they had just saved all those people. She had done that. And despite her own pain... she actually felt a bit guilty.

She turned again, quickly heading down the hallway until she reached a door. She opened it, revealing the bedroom she had woken up in before. She slipped inside, closing the door behind her before she fell to the ground and allowed herself to cry.

**Leave a review, please :) They are beautiful little cookies to me! **

**P.S. This ending is a little sadder than I originally intended... I was watching the final episode of the Office while I wrote it and I blame that. Always makes me super sad lol**

**TATA :)**


	4. Cold Blood

**Okay, so first off can I say how ridiculously hard it is to pick what episodes I want next. I had one picked out, ready to go and a plan but then completely hated it so I wrote from three other ones... from 10, from 12, from 11 before deciding on this one. And I'm still not sure about it. **

**Second, thank you to those who reviewed and favorited and alerted! I means the world to me and you're beautiful land mermaids :) **

**Third, just a warning but Ivy gets a little mouthy at the end... curses a bit. Also, please don't hate me for the ending. I'm trying to keep the whole thing realistic. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Ivy wrapped the towel around herself, padding back into the bedroom. She glanced around it, not sure if she should try to find other clothes or put her old one's on. The Doctor had said this was her bedroom, which meant this was her stuff, but it felt like she was going through a strangers things. She slowly walked to the dresser, opening the first drawer to find t-shirts. She lifted a shirt out, raising an eyebrow at the Parks and Recreation shirt. One of her favorite shows, and as she looked inside to find the size, she found it to be a medium, just like she wore. She sighed, deliberating for a moment before deciding to throw it on. Better than the dirty, blood stained shirt she had on before.

As she looked through some of the other drawers trying to find pants and socks, she began to find various items throughout that she didn't recognize. A sleek, black laptop, a couple of ties, various devices that she left alone for her own safety and a pile of pictures of her, sometimes with the Doctor and sometimes with a couple of different women. One was a pretty, short haired blonde, another a young black girl in a red jacket and the last an older red head. Ivy stood next to each of them, looking so at ease and happy. It was definitely her, same black curls, same tan skin and blue eyes, but somehow she was... different. Happier, brighter. And she didn't remember any of these women or the happiness that came along with them.

She quickly shoved the pictures back inside the drawer, shutting them away and trying not to think about it. All of this was so... surreal. Even though she knew it wasn't a dream anymore, she kept waiting to wake up in her bedroom, Button licking at her cheek.

A sudden flash of pain flared in her head, making her stumble a bit. She gasped, bringing her hand to her head, but the pain was gone as quickly as it had started. She thought for a moment she had even imagined it, but then another flash of pain flared in her chest, knocking the wind out of her. She nearly fell to the floor, but was able to keep herself upright. The pain pounded again, slowly beginning to spread throughout her. She stumbled toward the door, jerking it open before falling into the hallway.

"Doctor!" She cried, hoping he somehow heard her in the empty metal hallways. She didn't remember how far she was from the console room, if that's even where he was.

She gasped, the pain spreading to every nerve ending in her body. It was threatening to overwhelm her, the edges of her vision turning black. "Doctor!" She cried again, her voice shaking with the pain.

He rounded the corner suddenly, skidding to a halt just in front of her and grabbing her face gently. "Ivy, it's alright." He assured her, brushing her hair away from her face.

"It hurts."

"I know. But it will be over soon. You'll be back with me. Maybe a future version or a past one, but I'll be there, I swear it." He said, pulling her a bit closer. "It get's better, I pro-"

She felt a tug, like someone was pulling her back by her insides. She screamed, her body jerking this way and that before, with a gasp she stopped, landing on something hard and earthy. The pain was still overwhelming her, but as she lay there it slowly began to ebb away, leaving her achy and feeling like she had been hit by a bus.

"Hey!"

She tried to open her eyes and find the source of the voice, but snapped her eyes shut when the light above her burned her eyes. She heard a bit of metal clanking, like someone was struggling before the voice whispered again "Hey, wake up. Please! He's coming!"

Ivy knew she should feel a bit of fear from the panic in the person's voice, but this whole thing was overwhelming her so much she couldn't bring herself to feel much of anything. She could be in the middle of an alien planet, about to be attacked for all she cared.

"What on Earth!" The male voice boomed, footsteps pounding closer and closer to her. Ivy groaned, slowly cracking her eyes open again. The light still burned and her vision was blurred, but she blinked a couple of times and it began to clear. As it did, she stared up in shock at the reptilian, humanoid like creature looming above her. "Now how did you get down here, huh?" It whispered, before Ivy felt a sharp prick in her arm and everything went black.

~DW~

"Ivy."

She felt groggy and slightly disconnected from her body as she began to come too. As she slowly came back to herself, she realized she was vertical, being held up by some sort of metal straps wrapped around her arms and legs.

"Ivy!" Someone whispered, far more urgent now. "Ivy, wake up."

She finally opened her eyes slowly, a large, lab like room coming into view. She stared, not quite understanding where the hell she was, when the reality came back to her full force. The Doctor, the cybermen, Jackson Lake and then that awful pain that jerked her away. God, what the hell? Two days was all it took for her life to suddenly become a horrible freak show.

"Oh, thank God." Someone whispered to her right and Ivy slowly looked over, staring into the panicked eyes of a young woman. She was tall and thin, with pale freckled skin, wide brown eyes and long, auburn hair that fell around her face in light waves. She was looking at Ivy as if she knew her and was clearly relieved that she had woken up. "Are you okay?"

Ivy glanced down at herself, staring at her hands and ankles locked into metal cuffs, holding her down to a thinly cushioned vertical table. Ivy made still be a bit out of it... but she knew being strapped down in a lab setting was never a good thing. Panic filled her chest, making her yank and pull at the cuffs to no avail.

"Stop struggling." Someone else urged her in a low, urgent voice.

"What the hell is happening?" Ivy snapped, whipping her head around to look over at the woman and another man just past her in the same situation. Despite his warning, Ivy continued to yank at the metal, causing it to clank and shake. It didn't budge though, making Ivy's heart to speed up and her hands to shake. "What's happening?"

"Decontamination, they call it." The man whispered. "They did it to me. While I was conscious."

Ivy froze, terror threading its way through Ivy's veins at the words. She didn't... couldn't bring herself to ask what exactly these things did, too scared to find out. "We need to get out." She cried, her hands shaking violently in the straps.

"Did what? Who did?" The woman next to her asked, her own voice filled with fear as well.

"Dissected me." The man answered and Ivy hated him for telling them. She jerked against the metal again, causing it to dig into her flesh painfully, but she didn't care. She needed to get out, she needed to get away. She felt trapped, confined and it reminded her of the nightmares, stuck in that tiny space, heat and smoke choking her as she screamed for him...

"Get me out!" Ivy cried, struggling blindly against the binds, full blown panic and fear taking over.

"Ivy, calm down!" The woman urged, leaning closer to her. "Ivy, the Doctor's coming, we'll be okay!"

"I need out. I need out." Ivy sobbed, tears threatening to spill over her cheeks. Screw the Doctor, screw the time travel. This was a living nightmare.

"He's coming!" The man whispered, looking over at them with terror in his own eyes. "I'm sorry. I... wish I could help you."

Ivy bit back a sob, staring in horror as a humanoid figure walked toward the three of them with white scrubs on, a plastic apron, a medical mask and a horribly large scalpel in his gloved hand. He had a human shape, but his face was green and scaly, ending in three points like some kind of lizard. The creature stared out at Ivy through dark, intelligent eyes.

"Get away." Ivy growled, glaring at the thing and trying to look brave. If she was going to go, she was at least going to go down fighting. The thing ignored her though, pressing some kind of computer device on the side.

"From observation of the human females, they seem to be more resilient to the cold than the male." The thing said, its eyes flickering over Ivy's pajama shorts and spaghetti straps and then walked closer to the redhead, studying her short skirt and light jacket as well.

"I dressed for Rio!" The redhead snapped, struggling against the straps again.

The creature lifted some sort of round device, pressing a button and the metal around their wrists shot down with a loud clank, causing pain to shoot up her arm and a scream to escape her lips. It shoved the thing into its pocket, leaning closer to the redhead and studying her a bit more before pulling away and then coming toward Ivy. It got far to close with that scalpel for Ivy's comfort.

"Decontamination complete." It muttered, twisting the scalpel. "Commencing dissection, beginning with the dark haired female."

"I'll kill you, you piece of shit." Ivy growled as it brought the sharp edge closer to her chest, pressing the cold metal to her skin. She felt a few more tears fall, her heart nearly bursting from her chest when it began to dig into her skin, blood welling up and-

"Area 17 Incursion, species diagnostic requested." A computerized voice came over the speakers. "Area 17 Incursion, species diagnostic requested."

The creature glanced up, quickly pulling the scalpel away and turning to head out of the room without so much as a glance back in their direction. Ivy froze, staring out at the door the creature had disappeared through and waiting for it to come back. But it didn't and Ivy did all she could to stop herself from sobbing in relief.

"And stay out!" The redhead called after it. After a couple of seconds, the redheads restraints lifted and she yanked her arms and legs right out of the metal with a grin of triumph. Ivy looked up, staring with wide eyes as she caught sight of the round disk the creature had before. The girl quickly came to Ivy's side, looking her over worriedly before pressing a button that freed Ivy from the metal restraints. She gasped, nearly falling off the platform as her whole body shook from the adrenaline and fear still pumping through her. "Ivy-" The redhead whispered, reaching out to help steady her but Ivy jerked away, pressing herself against the wall.

"Don't touch me." She snapped, raking her hand through her hair in frustration. "Just... get away from me."

The woman looked torn between comforting her and doing as she was told, clearly incredibly worried about her. But Ivy didn't care. She didn't know her, she didn't want to be here, and she didn't want any of this. She had almost been cut open and chopped into. She suddenly remembered the words from the first Doctor she had met... _danger and adventures and boring days... _if this was the adventures, she wanted none of it.

The redhead had freed the other man and slowly made her way back in front of Ivy again. She looked at her cautiously, taking a step closer and laying a hand on her shoulder gently. "Ivy-"

"Just get off me." She ordered, wrapping her arms around herself and glaring at the girl.

"Okay." She said, lifting her hands up and stepped back. "But we have to go before he comes back. We need to find the Doctor."

"You know the Doctor?"

The women tilted her head, studying Ivy oddly before sighing sadly. "Do you know who I am, Ivy?"

"No." She barked, earning a hurt look from the red head. "No, I don't."

"I thought you knew her..." The man muttered behind them, glancing nervously at the door.

"Okay. Okay." The redhead soothed, her voice even and calm. "I'm Amelia. Amy Pond. I travel with the Doctor and...you when you're around. Right now, we need to try to find him. We need to get out of here, okay?"

Ivy took a deep breath, trying to steady herself, because this Amy was right about at least one thing; they needed to get the hell out of here. Ivy didn't care about the Doctor or finding him, she just wanted to get far, far away from this place. She nodded, quickly wiping away her tears and straightening. "Let's go."

Amy nodded, turning on her heel and heading out the door of the lab. Ivy followed after her and the man, who introduced himself as Mo, heading down through what looked like cave hallways, covered in dirt and plant life. "Where the hell are we?"

"Underground." Amy supplied and Ivy closed her eyes briefly, trying not to panic. Another enclosed space. Ivy hated being trapped with no known exit to the outside. _Concentrate, breath. Just get out, _she told herself, hurrying after Amy.

"That creature, do you think it was an alien?" Mo asked as they made their way through a metal doorway that shot open when they walked close. "Any more of them, do you think? Do you think the earth's been invaded?"

"Don't know. But I know someone who could have some answers." Amy assured him, looking determined as they made their way through the caves. Ivy could see the belief for the Doctor there, so absolute and deep. She paused, staring at a closed metal door to the side. "I wonder where this leads." She muttered, looking over at the two of them curiously.

"Maybe it's a way out." Mo said hopefully, moving closer as Amy slammed her hand down on what looked like a computer in the wall. It lit up, revealing a human shape, an elephant like shape and a couple more. The man pressed himself against the wall, staring through the glass as it lip up from behind. "Oh, my God, no." He whispered, his eyes widening in horror at whatever was behind the glass. Ivy felt a flash of fear, hoping it wasn't the strange, reptilian doctor again.

"What is it?" She demanded, staring as the man began to yank at the door, trying to open it and failing.

"It's my son. It's Elliot. What've they done to him?" He gasped, walking away from the door and looking between them in panic. Ivy felt her stomach twist, feeling sick as she caught sight of a young boy, maybe 11 or 12, staring straight ahead and hooked into different wires. "He's in there! We have to get him out!" He launched himself at the door, pounding on it frantically. "Elliot! Elliot, its dad!" He began pressing buttons on the computer, sending it into a frantic beeping.

"Access denied. Unauthorized genetic imprint."

"Stop!" Amy said quickly, trying to push him away from the door. "Seriously. We can't get in."

Mo looked down at Amy as though she were insane. "That's my boy in there!"

"It's a child." Ivy said, shaking her head and glaring at Amy. But she continued to shake her head, trying to calm them both down.

"These screens, they're monitoring something. I think they're vital signs- heartbeats, pulses. Why else would he be wired up? He's still alive." Amy assured the both of them. Ivy studied the boy and computer again, realizing that Amy was probably right. His father did as well, because his shoulders slumped and he nodded.

"All right." He said reluctantly, glancing out at his son. "We find weapons, get that creature from the lab and force it to release Elliot, yeah?"

Ivy bit her lip nervously, wiped at her chest, feeling the thin trail of blood there and the sting of the cut. The fear was gone now, replaced by pure anger. If she got weapons, she wasn't going to threaten that thing, she was going to kill it.

"Yeah, trust me." Amy said, nodding. "We'll get him out."

She brushed past him, quickly walking away from the door and continued down the cave hallways, gesturing for them to follow. "Come on."

~DW~

"Prepare them for execution."

Ivy gasped as the lizard thing behind her yanked her up, one hand on her arm and the other holding the gun it had easily taken from her, into her back. She knew she should have shot the things as soon as she had seen them. But she had hesitated, been weak and now they were going to be killed by the angry, female one.

"Get off me!" Ivy snapped, struggling against the lizard as it yanked her back, shoving her into a large pillar to tie her up.

"Don't struggle, Ivy!" The bow tie wearing Doctor said, twisting a bit from where he was being tied up to try to look at her. She didn't listen though, to angry and fearful of being tied up again. "Ivy, please!"

But her struggling didn't do anything more than cause the lizard to tighten her restraints to the point of being painful and hiss angrily at her. She sighed, quickly figuring out, as they filed into a line and pointed their guns, that there was no getting out of this one.

"So, as far as rescues go, that one wasn't the best." Amy sighed, looking over at the Doctor.

"I'm glad you two are alright though." The Doctor said, looking at the redhead and twisting around to look at Ivy as well. She didn't look back, to overwhelmed and fearful to do more than lay her head back against the wall and close her eyes. "Ivy-"

"Shut up."

"She's young." Amy explained, as though this made a difference.

"I'm sorry, Ivy." The Doctor whispered, but she didn't say anything back. She was trying not to freak out again, but it was getting harder and harder.

"Lizard men?" Amy piped up, shocked.

"Homo reptilia – they occupied the planet before humans." The Doctor explained, slowly tearing his eyes away from Ivy. "Now they want it back."

"After they've wiped out the human race." The shorter, dark haired woman they chained up next to the Doctor said, smiling darkly. Of course that's what they wanted.

"Right, preferred it when I didn't know, to be honest." Amy muttered, clearly beginning to panic as well.

"Why are they waiting?" Ivy asked, looking over at the line of soldiers doing nothing but pointing their guns at them. If they were going to kill them, she just wanted it to be done with. At least this craziness would end.

"What are they going to do with us?" The dark haired woman asked, nervously looking over at the lizards. The female, who was clearly the leader, stood with their back to them, looking out over the table and seemed to be messing with something. Suddenly, a screen flickered to life above the table, revealing what looked like a storage room with two men and a woman inside.

"Who is the ape leader?" The female asked, staring out at the humans. None of them answered though, just looked out at the woman with fear in their eyes. "Who speaks for the apes?" She demanded again, her voice becoming edgier.

They whispered to each other, looking a bit confused, before they sent the youngest man forward nervously. He lifted his hand in greeting, coming close to the screen. "I speak for the... humans. Some of us, anyway."

"Do you understand who we are?"

"Sort of. A bit." He stuttered, before finally giving up. "Not really."

"We have ape hostages." The female hissed before the three of them crowded around the screen, clearly trying to get a better view of each of them.

"Doctor! Amy! Ivy!" The young man cried, surprising Ivy. She supposed she shouldn't be surprised anymore. Everyone seemed to know her.

"Mo!" The woman cried, frantically shoving her way forward. "Mo, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, love! I've found Elliot." Mo assured her, smiling as though nothing was wrong. "I'm brining him home!" The women let out a choked sob, clearly to relieved to answer.

"Amy," The youngest man started, leaning closer to the screen again. "I thought I'd lost you!"

"What, 'cause I was sucked into the ground?" Amy scoffed, grinning at him cheekily. "You're so clingy."

"Not to interrupt, but just a quick reminder to stay calm." The Doctor piped up, giving the group a significant look. Ivy wasn't sure what that meant, but she saw a flicker of fear in the women's eye, which made her nervous.

"Show me Alaya." The female leader demanded. The three of them froze, nervously glancing at each other and Ivy could already tell something was wrong. "Show me and release her, immediately, unharmed, or we kill your friends. One by one."

"No!" The women cried, shoving her way to the front.

"Ambrose." The Doctor said warningly, looking out at the screen with a completely calm demeanor. "Steady now, everyone."

"Ambrose, stop it!" The older man ordered, pulling the Ambrose women back, but she quickly yanked away from him.

"Get off me, dad!" She snapped, shoving the man away from her before turning back to the screen, clearly getting hysterical. "We didn't start this!"

"Let Rory deal with this, Ambrose, eh?" The Doctor called, a nervous edge coming to his voice. But Ambrose ignored him, leaning close to the screen with anger and fear in her blue eyes.

"We are not doing what you say anymore." Ambrose warned, shaking as she glared out at the lizard women. "Now, give me back my family!"

Ivy could feel the cold rage radiating off the lizard women as she tilted her head, studying the woman for a moment. "No." She growled, her voice filled with a calculated anger. "Execute the girl."

The man on the screen began to protest as a couple of the lizards moved toward Amy to unchain and grab her. Ivy felt a cold dread fill her, watching uselessly as Amy was shoved toward the female lizard.

"There's no need for this!" The Doctor cried, clearly beginning to panic as well.

"Whatever you want, we'll do it!" The young man cried, trying to reason with the lizard woman. But she didn't give the order to stop, didn't even hesitate. There was murder in her eyes and she was going to get her blood.

"Don't do this!" The Doctor yelled, struggling against his own restraints as the screen flickered off behind them.

"Fire!" The female ordered and Ivy looked away, squeezing her eyes shut, wishing she could plug her ears as well. She didn't want to hear this, didn't want to be here...

"Stop!"

The panic and chaos immediately calmed as the deep, authoritative voice rang through the hall. Ivy opened her eyes, looking to see the scientist lizard walking with another robed lizard man. This one was clearly a leader from the way he walked and commanded the attention of everyone in the room. "You want to start a war while the rest of us sleep, Restac?" The lizard man demanded, walking toward her with narrowed eyes.

"The apes are attacking us!" Restac snapped, clearly intimidated by this new lizard man.

"You're our protector, not our commander, Restac." The lizard man said, clearly disapproving. "Unchain them."

But the group that had chained them up hesitated, clearly confused by who's orders they should follow. Restac hissed at the order, her shoulders tensing. "I do not recognize your authority at this time, Eldane." She growled, her voice shaking with that murderous rage.

This Eldane was clearly unfazed by this, because he shrugged. "Well then, you must shoot me." He said simply, smirking easily at her.

She didn't handle this well because she stomped toward the lizard doctor that had tried to dissect her earlier, who she called Malohkeh, standing off with him. "You woke him to undermine me." She hissed at him, barely able to contain her anger.

"We're not monsters and neither are they." He whispered. Ivy snorted, her fists clenching behind her back in anger. He may have woken up the leader to save them, but it didn't change what he had done to Mo and almost done to Ivy.

"What is it about apes you love so much? Mmm?"

"While you slept, they've evolved." He insisted, staring down at her. "I've seen it for myself."

"We used to hunt apes for sport." Restac scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief. "When we came underground, they bred and polluted this planet."

"Shush now, Restac." Eldane said, clearly getting annoyed with the argument. "Go and play soldiers. I'll let you know if I need you." Restac glared at him, a dangerous look on her face, but Eldane just smiled at her. She stalked forward, her whole body coiled in fury.

"You'll need me, then we'll see."

She swept past him, exiting the room without a second glance. The soldiers that had been with her immediately began to do as Eldane ordered, unchaining them one by one. Ivy pulled away from the creatures as soon as she could, rubbing her wrists gently. The Doctor was before her all the sudden, grabbing her hands in his and studying her intently. She tried to jerk away from him, but his hands were strong.

"Stop." He ordered, his eyes sweeping over her angry face, the dried blood on her chest and her dirty clothes. His hand fell down to the cut the lizard had given her and before she could try to pull away again, a warmth came over the spot, the skin knitted together and it was completely healed. "There we are." He whispered, gently squeezing her arm.

Ivy glanced down at the cut, feeling the newly healed skin. "H-how did you-"

The Doctor just shrugged, smiling at her gently. "I'm a very talented man, Ivy." He joked, waving his long fingers at her. "Now, got to get Rory!" He jerked her forward, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead before running toward the table and pressing some buttons. The screen appeared above the table again, revealing the three of them again. "Rory! Hello!" The Doctor greeted the youngest man.

"Where's Amy?" He asked immediately, his eyes scanning the screen looking for the young redhead.

"She's fine, look, here she is!" The Doctor assured him, sweeping his hand back to Amy. The man breathed a sigh of relief and Ivy could see the love and devotion on his face.

"Keeping you on your toes!" Amy joked nervously, before stepping away from the screen and heading toward Ivy. "Are you okay?" She asked, eyeing her nervously. Ivy glanced at her, seeing the genuine concern in her eyes as she stared at her.

"I don't... I don't know." She muttered, running a hand through her hair and sighing. "This is all just... a lot."

"I'm sorry." Amy said and Ivy could tell she meant it. She reached out, squeezing her arm gently before the Doctor clapped his hands loudly, drawing attention back to him and the two lizards at his side. The redhead gave her one last look to make sure she was alright before heading over, seating herself at the large table next to the other dark haired woman. Ivy hung back, not wanting to be anywhere near the doctor lizard if she could help it.

"So," The Doctor started, planting his hands on the table and looking between the Eldane and the two women. "I'd say you've got a fair bit to talk about."

"How so?" Eldane asked, eyeing the Doctor curiously.

"You both want the planet." The Doctor said simply. "You both have a genuine claim to it."

"Are you authorized to negotiate on behalf of humanity?" Eldane asked, looking over at the Doctor cautiously.

"Me? No!" The Doctor said, shaking his head. "But they are!" He pointed over at Amy and the dark haired woman, grinning at the two of them. They looked up in shock, obviously not having been told about this.

"What?"

"No, we're not."

"Course you are!" The Doctor assured them, clearly not at all fazed by their reluctance. "Amy Pond and Nasreen Chaundhry, speaking for the planet! Humanity couldn't have better ambassadors." He walked around, patting their backs reassuringly. "Come on, who has more fun than us?"

Amy shot up from the table, coming to stand before the Doctor excitedly. "Is this what happens in the future? The planet gets shared? Is that what we need to do?"

Nasreen stood, looking between them in confusion, clearly not in on the time travel secret. "What are you talking about?" She asked, sliding out from the table and walking toward them.

"Oh, Nasreen, sorry. Probably worth mentioning at this stage, Amy and I travel in time, a bit." He shrugged, as though this was such a simple thing. "And that's Ivy, my good friend. Bounces around a bit, but travels with us."

Nasreen glanced at Ivy, who shifted uncomfortably under her gaze, before looking back at the Doctor. "Anything else?"

The Doctor glanced at Amy before turning his back and pacing. "There are fixed points through time, where things must always stay the way they are." He explained, giving them each a significant look. "This is not one of them. This is an opportunity, a temporal tipping point. Whatever happens today will change future events, create its own timeline, its own reality." He stepped toward Amy and Nasreen, staring at them passionately. "The future pivots around you. Here. Now. So do good. For humanity, and for Earth." He smiled reassuringly at the two of them and Ivy could see the belief in his eyes, the pure trust that these two normal, everyday women could handle something as huge as this.

"Right." Amy muttered, looking a bit nervous as she made her way back to the table. "No pressure there."

"We can't share the planet." Nasreen hissed, leaning closer to the Doctor and eying the lizards nervously. "Nobody on the surface is going to go for this idea. It is just too big a leap."

"She's right." Ivy muttered. Humans could barely accept each other, so asking them to accept another species entirely... that was just too much. Ivy couldn't see it working out without some kind of fight or war. But the Doctor shook his head, clearly not wanting to believe this.

"Come on." He said softly, smiling at her. "Be extraordinary."

Nasreen sighed, looking torn between being annoyed and impressed by the Doctor's absolute belief in her. "Oh... you..." She muttered, shaking her head before seating herself back at the table, folding her hands together and looking at Eldane. The Doctor grinned, clearly pleased by this. "Okay."

The Doctor patted his hand against the table, looking between the three seriously. "Bringing things to order. The first meeting of representatives of the human race and homo reptilia. Ha! Never said that before, that's fab! Carry on!" He laughed, before looking over at Mo and Ivy. "Now, let's go get your son!"

He walked around the table, laying his hand on Ivy's back reassuringly as he, Mo and Malohkeh walked outside. Ivy walked out the door, but quickly rounded on the lizard, glaring at him. "That _thing_ doesn't come with us." She snapped, glaring at Malohkeh angrily. He took a step back and at least had the decency to look sheepish.

"Ivy," The Doctor whispered, pulling her back and away from the creature. "It's alright-"

"He cut into Mo! He tried to cut into me! And I'm sure Elliot's being... experimented on by him!" She snapped, jerking her arm away from him.

"I'm sorry." Malohkeh said quickly, wringing his gloved hands nervously. "I made sure it wouldn't hurt. I just wanted to understand you ape... you humans-"

"We were _talking _to you! You ignored me and just kept going!"

"I'm sorry! I am!" He said, his green eyes flickering nervously between the three of them. "I was just trying to understand you better, to learn-"

"You're just sick-"

"Ivy, please!" The Doctor pulled her toward him, grabbing her chin and forcing her to look at him. "Elliot still needs help. We still need to get Mo's son and make sure this war doesn't start. I know you were hurt and I'm so, so sorry, but we have to try to fix all of this."

Ivy glared at him, clenching and unclenching her jaw. Her eyes flickered to Malohkeh, hatred and anger bubbling in her chest. The Doctor was right though. Elliot was still being held and Ivy had seen the amount of soldiers this race had sitting in wait. This could all go very badly and could become something horrible if one thing went wrong. So she bit down her anger and tried to calm herself. "Fine." She snapped, meeting the Doctor's eyes. "But he stays away from me."

The Doctor nodded, giving the lizard man a look before waving his hand and urging him to lead the way. Ivy followed after, keeping her distance as best she could, before the Doctor came to walk beside her. "I am sorry, Ivy." He whispered, looking down at her with those sad, green eyes. She didn't respond, unsure of what to say. She was still torn about what she should feel about the Doctor. He said he had tried to fix her but at the same time, all of these strange things that were happening... they all involved him. All of this strangeness revolved around the strange, face changing man. Despite what he had done for London and those kids, despite trying to save humanity again now, she couldn't help but feel a bit of anger toward him.

"Where did you come from?"

"Jackson Lake. The cybermen." She muttered, turning the corner as Mo and the lizard man did.

"Right." He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Very, very young. Only jumped twice now?"

"Yeah. Can't say it's that great."

He flinched, frowning at her clipped, cold tone. "Ivy-"

But Malohkeh came to a stop before the metal door they had found Elliot in earlier, turning toward the three of them. "Here he is."

The Doctor reluctantly tore himself away from Ivy, moving toward the door and peering inside. "Elliot, there you are." He mumbled, looking back at the lizard doctor as he began to press the computer screen.

"If you've harmed him in any way..." Mo warned, glaring at Malohkeh.

"Of course not!" He said quickly, looking toward Mo. "I only store the young."

"Buy why?" The Doctor asked curiously.

"I took samples of the young." He explained, his voice laced with passion as he described his work. "Slowed their life cycles to a million of their normal rate, so I could study how they grew, what they needed, how they lived on the surface."

"You've been down here, working by yourself, all alone?"

"My family, through the millennia... for the last 300 years, just me." He said sadly, shrugging before he looked over at Mo. "I never meant to harm your child." He paused, looking back at Ivy. "Or you. I am... very sorry."

Ivy glared back, hating the small sliver of pity she had for the very lonely looking lizard man. To watch his family die out, to be all alone, yet surrounded by so many... "Whatever." Ivy huffed. Malohkeh still looked upset, but the Doctor slapped his hand down on the man's shoulder and chuckled.

"Best she can do now." He muttered, shrugging. "Stubborn." He whispered, rolling his eyes. Ivy smacked him across the arm, earning a flinch from him. "Oi!"

"Just get the kid out." She grumbled and Malohkeh quickly nodded, turning and pressing another button on the screen.

"It's safe. We can wake him." He smiled, turning and opening the door to Elliot. He stepped through, slowly and delicately taking off the wires attached to the young boy. After getting the last of them, he turned and beckoned Mo inside. "Come."

Mo stepped forward, coming to stand before Elliot and laying his hand gently on his shoulder. "Elliot? Ell, it's dad..."

Elliot slowly blinked, looking around and trying to gather himself. "What...? Dad."

Mo laughed, quickly gathering his son to him and hugging him tightly. Ivy gave a small smile, actually feeling a bit happy for the first time since coming here. At least one thing had worked out.

"You're safe now." Mo whispered, squeezing his arms reassuringly.

"But where are we?" Elliot asked, looking around in confusion.

"Well, I've got to be honest with you, son." Mo sighed, sounding a bit nervous. "We're in the center of the earth... and there are lizard men."

Elliot blinked, slowly looking over toward Malohkeh, the Doctor and Ivy with wide, curious eyes. "Hi." Malohkeh said, waving his gloved hand at the young boy.

"Wow."

The Doctor cautiously stepped forward, looking down at the young boy worriedly. "Elliot, I'm sorry. I took my eye off you."

Elliot shrugged though, grinning at the Doctor. "It's okay." He said, with all that easiness of a child. "I forgive you."

The three walked out of the area, quickly beginning to walk back toward the room where they had left the others. Malohkeh hesitated though. "You go on, Doctor. I'll catch up."

The Doctor nodded, waving at Malohkeh before turning and heading back down the hallways. They found the room easily, coming in on the tail end of the debate the three were still in the middle of. From the tone and smiles on the three's faces, Ivy could see that it had actually been going well. Maybe the Doctor was right... maybe this could work.

That hope didn't last long though. Ivy watched as Rory and Ambrose slowly walked into the large room, each hugging their loved ones and it all seemed very happy at first. But then Ambrose father walked in, something in his arms that looked very much like a body.

"Something's wrong..." The Doctor muttered, looking out at the group worriedly.

"Doctor, what's he carrying?" She asked urgently, a sick feeling filling her stomach as the old man came closer. He looked guilty and it certainly didn't make Ivy feel any better.

"No..." The Doctor said, stepping closer. "Don't do this. Tell me you didn't do this."

The old man slowly set down the body and the Doctor crouched down, opening the blanket to reveal one of the reptile people. She didn't move, didn't open her eyes and Ivy instantly knew she was gone. The Doctor covered her again, looking up at the three of them. "What did you do?" He snapped, his usually gentle tone filled with anger.

"It was me." Ambrose piped up, looking fearfully at the Doctor. "I did it."

"Mum?" Elliot whispered, turning to look back at her. She quickly leaned down, laying her hand on his shoulders.

"I was trying to get you back-"

But Elliot pulled away, clearly disgusted by his mother's actions. She froze, her eyes glittering with unshed tears as she looked around at all of them, seeking approval or understanding and finding none.

The Doctor turned, looking toward Eldane and hurrying to his side. "I'm sorry. I didn't know. You have to believe me, they're better than this." He said hurriedly, trying to reason with the old lizard. But Ivy could see the lizard becoming disbelieving, untrusting. This was falling apart and quickly.

"This is our planet!" Ambrose cried, glaring at Eldane.

"We had a chance here." The Doctor growled, turning to glare at the hysterical women.

"Leave us alone." She continued, ignoring him. But the Doctor stalked forward, glaring down at her.

"In the future, when you talk about this, you tell people there was a chance but you were so much less than the best of humanity!" He growled, his voice wavering with barely contained anger. Ivy flinched, a bit shocked by how harsh he was with the women. He was so boyish, so... usually happy and almost silly, that the rage didn't fit him.

There was a pounding of feet and suddenly a whole legion of lizard soldiers stomped into the room, surrounding them from all sides. Restac entered, her head held high and her eyes filled with hatred. "My sister." She said, scanning the room for her before her eyes landed on the blanket covering the dead lizard women. She approached slowly, bending down and gently removing the cover from the woman's face. She gave a cry of sadness, deep and heartbreaking, when she laid eyes on her sister. The pain didn't last long though before it was replaced by cold, dark fury. "And you want us to trust these apes, Doctor?" She hissed, glowering at him.

"One women." He said. "She was scared for her family. She's not typical."

Restac rose, whipping around to hiss at Ambrose. "I think she is."

"One women let us down!" The Doctor cried, looking between Restac and Eldane. "But there's a whole race of dazzling, peaceful human beings up there. You were building something here. Come on, an alliance could work!"

"It's too late for that, Doctor." Ambrose piped up, her eyes shifting nervously around the room. The Doctor looked at her, his blue eyes filling with panic.

"Why?"

"Our drill." She said, raising her chin defiantly. "Is set to start burrowing again in..." She glanced down at a stop watch, before looking back up. "15 minutes."

"What?" Nasreen snapped, glaring at the women angrily.

"What choice did I have?" The old man asked, shame etched into his face. "They had Elliot."

"God..." Ivy whispered, raking her hand through her hair nervously. This was falling apart, crumbling all around them. Despite what the Doctor said and hoped, Ivy knew there was no saving this. Humans weren't what he believed them to be and the proof was right in front of them. He wanted to tell them that Ambrose was an exception, but Ivy knew she wasn't. Ivy had been around enough to know that.

"Don't do this. Don't give into their bluff." The Doctor urged, still clinging to that final sliver of hope.

"Let us go back." Ambrose ordered, staring at Restac. "And you promise to never come to the surface ever again. We'll walk away, leave you alone."

Restac scowled, her nostrils flaring at the orders before she cried out, "Execute her!"

"No!"

The soldiers took aim, firing their weapons at the woman but barely missed as the Doctor dove forward, grabbing her and pulling her away. Ivy gave a cry, backing away from the shots as the Doctor grabbed her wrist, pulling her close. "Everybody, back to the lab! Run!" He ordered, shoving Ivy after the rest of them before reaching into his jacket and pulling out his sonic. Ivy didn't see what he did with it, but from the cries and yells, she hoped it worked in his favor. She glanced back, her heart hammering when she didn't see him and heard more shooting, but luckily he came running out moments later. "Get everyone to the lab!" He yelled, chasing after them frantically.

They rounded the corner, barely dodging the gun shots from the soldiers following them. They all stopped, unsure of what to do before the Doctor caught up with them and turned around, squaring off to face the soldiers. "I'll cover you! Go! Go!" He ordered, pulling his sonic out.

"There are tons of them-"

"Go!" He snapped, giving her a glare. She shook her head, but Rory suddenly grabbed her, yanking her away from them.

"Don't-"

"He'll be fine!" Rory assured her, pulling her with him as they headed down the tunnels. Ivy heard shouting and a couple more shots being fired, but she couldn't make out what was happening. They entered the lab finally and to her relief, the Doctor came just moments later, looking fully intact.

"Elliot, you and your dad keep your eyes on that screen." He ordered, gesturing to the computers. "Let me know if we get company. Amy, keep reminding me how much time I haven't got."

"Okay," Amy said, catching the stop watch he threw at her. "12 ½ minutes till trill impact."

12 ½ minutes. That was nothing.

"Tony Mack, sweaty forehead, dilated pupils." The Doctor muttered, looking over Ambrose father worriedly. "What're you hiding?"

Tony pulled his shirt apart, revealing spidery green veins beneath his shirt. Nasreen gasped, looking down at the wound with wide eyes. "Tony! What happened?"

"Alaya's sting." Tony sighed as the Doctor ran his sonic over the wound, scanning it. "She said there's no cure. I'm dying, aren't I?"

The Doctor whipped around, looking toward the computer before answering. "You're not dying, you're mutating!" He muttered, pointing his sonic at the computer screen and pulling up what looked like a strand of DNA.

"How can I stop it?"

"Decontamination program. Might work, don't know. Eldane," He said, looking up at the leader hopefully, "can you run the program on Tony?"

"Doctor," Mo interrupted, staring at the screen in alarm. "Shedload of those creature coming our way! We're surrounded in here."

"Question is, how do we stop the drill given that we can't get there in time? Plus also, how do we get out, given we're surrounded." The Doctor asked, walking around the room to Nasreen. "Nasreen, how d'you feel about an energy pulse, channeled up through the tunnels to the base of the drill?"

"To blow up my life's work?" Nasreen said testily, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Yes." He said simply, shrugging. "Sorry. No nice way of putting that."

"Who cares about a drill when we're all about to die?" Ivy snapped, glancing down at the computer screen full of lizard warriors surrounding them.

"Right." Nasreen sighed, still sounding displeased. "You're going to have to do it before the drill hits the city, in..."

"11 minutes, 40 seconds..." Amy supplied nervously.

"Yes!" The Doctor grinned, coming back around to the computers. "Squeaky bum time!"

Ivy rolled her eyes, growing a bit irritated by his amused attitude. "Almost dying here!" She snapped, earning a wave of the hand from the Doctor.

"Yes, but the explosion is going to cave in all the surrounding tunnels, so we have to be on the surface by then." Nasreen warned.

"But we can't get past Restac's troops." Rory reminded them nervously.

"I can help with that." Eldane said, stepping away from where he was helping Tony. "Toxic fumigation. An emergency fail safe meant to protect my species from infection. A warning signal to occupy cyro-chambers." He explained, his voice grave as he made his way toward the Doctor. "After that, citywide fumigation by toxic gas. Then the city shuts down."

"You could kill your own people." Ivy mumbled, shocked by the proposition. Eldane didn't looked pleased, but when he turned toward her, she could see the determination on his face.

"Only those foolish enough to follow Restac."

"Eldane, are you sure about this?" The Doctor asked, looking the lizard man over nervously. But Eldane didn't back down.

"My priority is my race's survival. The earth isn't ready for our return."

"Ten minutes, Doctor." Amy piped up and Ivy felt a twist of nervousness in her stomach.

"But maybe it should be." The Doctor muttered, looking suddenly very determined. He walked around the computers, looking at each of them. "So here's the deal. Everybody listening. Eldane, you activate the shutdown." He said, slapping the lizard man on the shoulder before he set to work. "I'll amend the system, set your alarm for 1,000 years' time. 1,000 years, to sort the planet out. To be ready, pass it on. As legend, or prophecy, or religion. But somehow, make it known. This planet is to be shared."

Elliot nodded, smiling at the Doctor. "Yeah, I get you."

The Doctor grinned back, pointing at Elliot and looking quite proud. But Amy alerted them to the 9 minutes and seven seconds they had left and the Doctor quickly got back to work. "Yes, fluid controls, my favorite!" He muttered, beginning to toy with the computers. "Energy pulse timed, primed and set. Before we go, energy barricade, need to cancel it out quickly." He waved his sonic at the computer with a flourish, making it create a high pitched whine.

"Fumigation pre-launching."

"There isn't much time for us to get from here to the surface, Doctor!" Rory said, looking quite nervous. Ivy couldn't say she blamed him. They were getting down to the wire.

"Ah-ha, super-squeaky bum time!" The Doctor laughed, going back to fiddling with the computer. "Get ready to run for your lives..."

"But the decontamination program on your friend," Eldane said, glancing nervously at Tony, "hasn't started yet."

They all glanced over at Tony, who pulled himself away from the table and waved his hand at them. "Well, go. All of you! Go." He ordered, walking toward them weakly. Elliot ran toward his grandfather, shaking his head and hugging him tightly. Ivy stared at the family sadly, knowing this was probably the last time they would all be together.

"No, we're not leaving you here!" Ambrose cried, staring at her father with tears in her eyes.

"Eight minutes, thirty seconds."

"Now, you look after your mum." Tony said, looking down at Elliot and giving him a stern look. "You mustn't blame her. She only did what she thought was right."

"I'm not going to see you again, am I?" Elliot whispered, staring up at his grandfather sadly. The old man put on a brave face though, smiling at him gently.

"I'll be here." He said softly, pressing his fist over Elliot's heart. "Always. I love you, boy." He gathered the boy to him, hugging him tightly before releasing him to his mother. "You be sure he gets home safe!"

"This is my fault." Ambrose sobbed, holding Elliot against her and staring at her father sadly.

"No, I can't go back up there. I'd be a freak show." He said, shaking his head. "The technology down here's my only hope." He hugged Ambrose, muttering a couple of good bye's and I love you's before nodding at the Doctor, his face brave. Eldane began the fumigation process, sending a warning over the PA system that sent the soldiers running away from them in panic.

"They're going!" Ivy said, letting out a sigh of relief. "We're clear!"

"Look for a blue box. Get ready to run!" The Doctor warned, running toward the door and the rest of them followed, crowding around and waiting anxiously. The Doctor opened the door with his sonic, but walked back toward Eldane and looked at him sadly. "I'm sorry."

"I thought for a moment, our race and the humans..." Eldane sighed, shaking his head.

"Yeah, me too."

"Doctor!" Amy cried, her voice rising in alarm. "We've got less than six minutes."

"Go! Go!" He urged, waving them away. "I'm right behind you."

Ivy followed after the others this time, running through the tunnels and city as the PA system warned of the impending fumigation overhead. The Doctor caught up with them quickly, urging them through the cities until they finally found the TARDIS. He rushed forward, grabbing his keys and fumbling to open the door. "No questions, just get in. And yes, I know it's big." He shoved the door open, herding the group of them into the large console room. "Ambrose, sickbay up the stairs, left, then left again... get yourself fixed up. Come on! Five minutes and counting..." He trailed off, looking over at the wall of the room with wide eyes. Ivy followed his gaze, staring at what looked like a wide crack in the wall, light shining through.

"What the hell is that?" She asked, staring at the thing nervously. It couldn't be good with the way the Doctor was looking at it.

"Crack in time." The Doctor muttered, stepping toward the thing nervously. "Two parts of space and time that never should have touched right here and the Byzantium. All through the universe rips in the continuum." He stared at it curiously, crouching down to study it. "Some sort of space-time cataclysm... and explosion maybe."

"Great." Ivy mumbled, taking a step back. "Maybe we should leave it alone."

"Four minutes, fifty." Amy warned.

"We have to go." Rory said, waving them toward the TARDIS nervously, but the Doctor didn't move, transfixed by the crack.

"The angels laughed when I didn't know. Prisoner Zero knew. Everybody knows, except me!" He cried.

"Doctor, just leave it!"

"But where there's an explosion... there's shrapnel." He fumbled around in his jacket, pulling out a handkerchief and moving toward the crack excitedly.

"Doctor, you can't stick your hand in that thing!" Rory warned, shaking his head furiously.

"Why not?" He asked before moving forward and shoving his hand into the crack. Ivy flinched, fear twisting in her belly when he let out a cry of pain.

"Doctor!" She cried as the light brightened in the crack and she rushed forward, ready to yank him out, but he held his hand out to stop her.

"I've got something!"

"What is it?" Amy asked just as he fell back, falling to the dusty floor and holding something in the handkerchief.

"I don't know." He muttered, staring at the thing with wide eyes.

"Doctor!"

They all turned, staring as Restac crawled forward, weak and using the last of her strength to lift herself up and grab her gun.

"She must have been poisoned." Amy whispered, backing away nervously.

"You!" Restac growled, looking murderous.

"Okay, get in the TARDIS, the three of you." He warned, reaching into his pocket to get his sonic. But he was to slow, unable to beat Restac as she angrily lifted the gun with a shaky arm.

"You did this!"

"Doctor!" Rory cried, shoving the Doctor aside just as Restac fired, a red beam hitting Rory straight in the chest, sending him screaming to the floor and writhing in pain. Restac fell, the last of her strength spent on killing the poor man yelling in pain on the floor.

Amy and the Doctor rushed forward, both leaning over the man as he struggled. Ivy stared, torn between being frozen in horrified shock and wanting to run and never look back. He was dying, she was sure of it, and poor Amy was going to have to watch.

"_I-Ivy." He whispered, his voice a strangled gasp as he reached out for her, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. "It's okay. We're o-okay." _

_She gritted her teeth, trying not to struggle against the metal shoved against legs and holding her in place. "Nathan..." She sobbed, trying to turn her head to get a better look at him. "Nathan!" She cried, taking in the twisted metal sticking out of his stomach, slick with deep red. _

"_NATHAN!" _

"We were on the hill. I can't die here." Rory whispered, staring up at Amy with wide, scared eyes.

"Don't say that." Amy sobbed, her fingers holding onto Rory's hand tightly, clinging to him.

"You're so beautiful..." Rory sighed, staring up at her, trying to take in her beauty before he groaned again, his face screwing up in pain. "I'm sorry."

His face slowly relaxed, the last breathe slipping between his lips and Ivy turned away, unable to look anymore. This was too much, all of this. It was like a never ending nightmare, one thing after another. Nothing about this was right.

The Doctor suddenly grabbed her, pushing her toward the TARDIS nervously. Ivy flinched, about to lash out at him but she stopped, staring as the light slowly began to inch out of the crack, sliding through the air and wrapping its way around Rory's legs. "Amy, move away now."

"No! I am not leaving him! We have to help him!" Amy screamed, still leaning over Rory's body, clinging to him.

"The light's already around him, we can't help him." The Doctor whispered, leaning down and trying to pull her away.

"We have to go. We have to get out of here." Ivy whispered, stumbling away from the light toward the TARDIS. I_ have to get away from here... _

"I am not leaving him!"

But the Doctor, with more screaming and struggling from Amy, finally ripped her away and yanked her toward the doors of the TARDIS. Ivy hated leaving Rory there, hated the way Amy screamed... sounding so familiar and horrible, but she couldn't stay here any longer. The Doctor shoved her in, sonicing the door locked as Amy screamed and tried to run back out. She struggled against the door, banging on it pathetically as the Doctor marched away toward the console.

"Let me out, please let me out. I need to get to Rory!" She screamed, tears streaming down her face. Ivy moved forward, trying to hold herself together enough too gently grab Amy and pull her away. She sobbed, falling back against Ivy and clinging to her sadly. "Please..." She begged. Ivy bit her own lip, trying to stop herself from crying.

Amy pulled away suddenly, walking up toward the Doctor and staring out at a screen that showed the light threading its way around Rory. "That light... if his body's absorbed I'll forget him. He'll never have existed. You can't let that happen."

The Doctor stared down at the console, his whole body rigid, before he suddenly yanked down a crank. "Stop!" Ivy cried, shaking her head. Leaving his body behind was one thing, but risking him never existing at all was another.

"What are you doing?!" Amy screamed, running up the stairs as the TARDIS began to wheeze. "Doctor! No!" She began to fight for power over the crank with the Doctor, who grabbed her, pulling her to face him as she screamed and fought against him.

"Keep him in your mind. Don't forget him." He order urgently, still struggling with her. "If you forget him, you'll lose him forever."

"On the Byzantium, I still remembered the clerics because I am a time traveler now you said." She sobbed, her voice shaking hysterically.

"Just go back for him! You can't leave him there!" Ivy cried, but he ignored her, focusing on Amy.

"They weren't part of your world. This is different, this is your own history changing."

"Don't tell me it's going to be okay. You have to make it okay!" She sobbed, struggling against his hold.

"Its going to be hard, but you can do it!" The Doctor urged, kissing her forehead and pulling her close. "Tell us about Rory!" He urged, pulling her toward the chair and setting her down. "Fantastic Rory. Funny Rory, gorgeous Rory. Tell Ivy, she doesn't know him yet. Tell her!" He urged, waving Ivy forward. She shook her head, horrified and hating all of this. She didn't want to hear about the dead man. She didn't want to listen to the poor girl describe her dead love. "Amy, listen to me. Do exactly as I say. Amy, please keep concentrating. You can do this."

Amy stared ahead, clearly trying to concentrate. She looked down at him, shaking her head sadly. "I can't." She whispered.

"You can." The Doctor urged, squeezing her reassuringly. "You can do it. I can't help you unless you do. We can still save his memory. Come on, Amy. Please."

Amy stared ahead and Ivy could slowly see her slipping. This was sick... twisted, watching the memories of the person she loved slowly slip away. Ivy remembered wanting to forget Nathan in the beginning, the pain being too much for her, but she had been weak then. She wouldn't trade his memories for anything now. They were what kept her going, made her fight to get better and make a life for herself.

"Remember Rory." The Doctor whispered, shaking her slightly. "Rory is only alive in your memory. Don't let anything distract you. Rory still lives in your mind."

The TARDIS shook, sending the two of them flying to the glass floor and Ivy nearly fell back into the stairs before catching herself on the railing. She pulled herself up, quickly looking over at Amy as she leaned up, blinking at the Doctor curiously.

"What were you saying?" She asked, and Ivy's heart broke. Because her tone was to light, too at ease. There was no more pain in her eyes, no more tears. Rory was gone. Ivy felt sick, horrible.

"I have seen some things today, but this is beyond mad."

Ivy quickly wiped away her tears, looking up at Mo and his family as they made their way back into the console room. Amy grabbed the stop watch, looking up at the Doctor in alarm. "Five seconds till it all goes up."

They scrambled up and the Doctor set to getting the TARDIS away and out of harms way. Ivy stood back, closing her eyes and leaning over the railing. She wanted to scream, to run, and to punch the Doctor in the face. Her fingers wrapped tightly around the railing, so hard it turned her knuckles white.

"Ivy, are you coming?"

She looked up, staring into Amy's wide, innocent brown eyes. When she didn't answer, Amy actually looked concerned for _her_, heading toward her and laying her hand on her shoulder. "Ivy, it's okay. We're safe now. Everything's okay." She assured her, rubbing her shoulder kindly. Ivy stared, unsure of what to do or say. The Doctor stood behind Amy, a very serious and miserable look on his face.

"I'm sorry." Ivy whispered, a tear slowly falling down her cheek as she looked at Amy. Amy tilted her head, clearly confused by the apology.

"It's okay." She assured her, squeezing her hand gently before tugging her toward the door. "Come on."

The rest of it passed in a blur... the drill blowing up, saying their goodbye's to the family and seeing future Amy alone on the hill. They finally made their way back to the TARDIS, filing inside as Amy talked of Rio and the promise of a fun time. She was so happy, so light and Ivy could barely stomach it. Eventually she slipped away, muttering something about being tired before heading toward the room she had been in before coming here. She slid inside, about to close the door before a hand caught it and the Doctor walked inside nervously.

"Don't." She said, shaking her head. "I can't right now. I just can't-"

"Ivy, please." He whispered, his voice wavering and she saw how tired, how wretched he looked. "I know this is all a lot to take in-"

"This is sick. This is so... beyond fucked up." She snarled, rage and fear and anger slipping into her voice. "That girl... that poor girl just lost a man I'm sure she loved very much and now she can't even remember him. She's running around talking about Rio and the beach and... and vacations. That's so... twisted." She shook her head, backing away from him as he opened his mouth to protest. "I was almost _dissected _today. I almost died like... ten times. And you want me to... to stay with you? To somehow explain this and make it sound better? No."

"I know this is bad, I know this is horrible right now but me and you-"

"There is no me and you!" She screamed, glaring at him. "I hate this! I don't want any of it. This is all so wrong. All I wanted was to get my degree, to get a job and do something with my life. To make... make him proud." She paused, her lip quivering as tear sprang to her eyes. "I just want to go back. I just want my apartment and my dog and my friends. I don't want you. I don't want this."

He looked away, his eyes glittering with unshed tears before he slowly nodded. "I... I'm so sorry Ivy. I wish I could stop it."

Her face broke, tears spilling over her eyes as she backed away and dropped onto the bed. "I hate you." She sobbed, burying her face in her hands. The Doctor flinched, looking away from her. He felt like his hearts were being torn out, ripped from his chest and stomped on. He remembered future Ivy apologizing to him for her past self, assuring him over and over again that she hadn't meant it... but it didn't help now as she _did_ say it. It... hurt. It tore him apart.

"I'm sorry." He choked out, unable to do anything else. "I'm so, so sorry."

**Sorry, sorry, sorry. She's young and a scared and doesn't mean it, I promise! **

**I just want to make sure her reactions are realistic. Ivy is different from companions because she didn't choose this, didn't get to see some amazing save from the Doctor and then get asked to come along and see more amazing things. This was forced on her and I just don't think it's realistic to think she or anyone really, would just shrug and be like "Okay! Screw my old life and friends and school! Let's do this! Yay, sexy alien Doctor!" like some other OC fics do. And obviously, it gets better because if you look at the description, it says romance :) So please stick around and let me know what you think. (Constructive criticism, please). **

**Thanks for reading!**


	5. Listen: Part 1

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while. First I was sick, then a bunch of crap in school came up and I just haven't had the time. But here it is! Thank you for all the alerts, reviews and views! Please leave a review to let me know what you think! **

**Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own nothin'!**

_The smell of blood and smoke. _

_Pain. _

_Screaming, her throat raw. _

_Green eyes slowly slipping shut. _

"Ivy!"

She gasped, jerking up and nearly knocking right into Doctor. He quickly jumped up from his seat next to her on the bed, wringing his hands nervously as he stared down at her with concern. "What the hell are you doing?" She snapped, pulling the blanket tighter around her. She felt exposed and raw having been caught in the middle of one of her nightmares. No one but Button had ever witnessed her in the middle of one and she didn't like the way the Doctor was looking at her, like this wasn't the first time he had seen her like this.

"You were screaming." He said softly, looking unsure of what do to. "Nightmare?"

She looked away, hating that knowing look in his eyes. "Can you just go, please?"

The Doctor looked torn between just walking out and staying with her and after deliberating for a moment, decided to stay. "Come with me." He ordered, walking toward the door.

"Look, I'm-"

"Ivy, today wasn't just horrible for you." The Doctor said, running a hand through his hair tiredly. There was a very deep sadness in his eyes, making him look older than his youthful face made him appear and Ivy suddenly felt a flicker of guilt for how she had treated him earlier. From what she could tell, Rory had been the Doctor's friend as well and Ivy hadn't stopped to think about what the young man's death had done to the Doctor. Unlike Amy, the Doctor remembered and if Ivy knew one thing, it was the fact that remembering caused a huge amount of pain.

"Fine." She muttered, pulling the covers away and standing up. The Doctor's eyes softened, his lips twitching up into a small smile before he opened the door and headed out. Ivy followed after him into the console room. He began to walk around the console, pushing buttons, pulling things and yanking objects before that wheezing started up and rocked the TARDIS a bit. It was only going for a minute or so before it stopped and the Doctor glanced back up at her.

"Come on." He said, nodding toward the door.

"Look, I'm still tired and-"

"We're not going anywhere this time." He said simply, heading toward the door and pulling it open to reveal the deep black of space. Ivy stared, slowly walking up the stairs to look out at a giant mass of fire, flickering and flaring. "A star. You always like looking at them."

Ivy glanced at him before staring out at the ball of fire hanging in the sky. "It's beautiful." She whispered, watching the thing in fascination. After a moment she realized the reality and glanced up at the Doctor. "How exactly are we not sucked into space right now?"

He grinned, clearly amused by the question. "The TARDIS. She creates an air bubble around the outside. You could step outside while I hold on if you wanted."

"No thanks." She said, glancing cautiously outside the doorway to the empty black of space. "She? An alien and you still act like human boys and their cars with the ship."

The Doctor shook his head quickly, giving her a slightly offended look. "The TARDIS isn't like some car!" He said. "She's sentient, for one thing."

Ivy glanced over at him at that, raising an eyebrow. "Sentient? Like... it's alive?" She asked, glancing uneasily around the room. Was that even possible? What was she saying... of course it was. It was a freakin' _time machine _that was stuffed into a blue police box, so who was to say it wasn't alive or something too?

"Yes, _she _is." He corrected, patting the doorframe in a loving manner. "So if you ever need to figure out where to go, just ask her. She'll get you there."

"Is... she watching... all the time?" Ivy asked uneasily and the Doctor gave a scoff, glaring at her.

"She's not a pervert!" He cried and suddenly the room shook a bit and a sort of ringing filled the room. "Now you've offended her!"

"It's a valid question!" Ivy snapped, folding her arms and glancing around the room uncomfortably. "Sorry."

There was another dinging, this time a bit lighter than before and Ivy wondered if she had been forgiven. She looked over at the Doctor for confirmation, who nodded and gave her a slight smile. "Good, good." He muttered, looking back out at the star and becoming more solemn. "I'm sorry, Ivy. For today."

She paused, chewing on her lip for a moment. "I'm... sorry too." She muttered, looking out at the star and avoiding his gaze. She hated apologies. "This whole thing is just so..."

"I know." He whispered, frowning. "I know how hard this is for you. I recognize that this isn't what you wanted and I swear to you, I've tried to fix it. But I promise... it gets better. It's not always... getting dissected and death and sadness. We have good times too. We save people and see amazing things. It gets better."

She finally looked over at him, seeing the sincerity and desperation behind his eyes. He _wanted_ her to believe him. And despite how angry she still was about everything, how much she just hated all of this, she did believe him. Because she saw how horrible he felt when he hurt Miss. Hartigan, how his first instinct was to save the cybermen, not kill them and how he wished so deeply for peace between the humans and reptiles. Despite her anger earlier, she knew the Doctor was a genuinely good man. "I believe you." She sighed, running a hand through her dark hair. "And I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I'm told I have a problem with speaking before I think when I get angry."

"A bit, yeah." He muttered, earning a slap in the arm from her. "Oi!" He cried, but his lips twitched up into a smile.

"So," She said, leaning against the door frame and continuing to gaze outside. "The face changing... is it just you and the skinny one with good hair?"

"No," He chuckled. "He was my 10th regeneration. I'm 11."

She looked over at him, her eyes widening. "11? You've had 10 other bodies? Do I meet all of them?"

"No. No, you showed up during my 9th regeneration."

"And you said you've known me a couple hundred years... how old are you exactly?" She asked, eying his youthful face and old, wise eyes.

"909." He said simply, as though this was just so normal. But after being told he had been through 10 other bodies, she shouldn't be surprised he was that old. She wondered briefly if this kind of thing was ever going to stop shocking her or if eventually aliens and humanoid reptiles and planets would become every day to her.

"Well... you look good for your age." She muttered, shaking her head when he chuckled. "Is there anything else I should know?"

The Doctor glanced at her and for a moment she swore he looked a bit panicked, but the look was gone so quickly Ivy couldn't be sure. She wanted to ask, but she didn't want to pry. She wasn't one to push on sharing because God knows she wasn't one to talk about herself. "You can't talk about the future with a Doctor from the past." He said, looking down at her. "Just like I can't tell you about your future. One wrong word... could be very dangerous."

"No spoilers, got it."

His lips twitched up again, clearly amused. "That is what you call them. Spoilers."

"So, um... I can't talk about the future. But... when it comes to the past..." She paused, chewing on her lip nervously before continuing. "Could you go back and... fix something?"

"You can't go back in your own timeline and change something." He said sadly and Ivy felt a twist of anger and pain at the knowing look in his eyes. He didn't say Nathan's name, but she could tell from the pity and sadness that was there that he knew exactly what she was thinking about. "One very big rule of being a time traveler is not going back and meeting yourself or distorting your own time line. Creates a paradox. Very bad." He paused, hating the way the hope slowly faded from her eyes. "I'm sorry."

She took a deep breath, clearly trying to get herself under control before she shrugged easily and threw him a quick smile. "I figured it was a long shot." She mumbled and he could see her struggling to keep up that strong fasquade she usually had going. She yawned suddenly and the Doctor knew she was going to run away again. "I'm tired." She lied easily, flashing him another smooth smile. "I think I'll head back to bed. Thanks... for this."

He nodded, watching her walk back down the stairs and head toward the hallway. "Goodnight." He called and she gave a wave over her shoulder as she quickly walked away. He turned, staring back out at the star again and tried to ignore the ache in his hearts. He forgot sometimes how hard it was when she was young, how different and closed off she was. She looked the same but she might as well be a different person.

It hurt, but God help him, he still loved her.

~DW~

She somehow fell asleep again, but it felt like as soon as her head hit the pillow, the pain woke her up again. She jolted awake, struggling to breathe as it slowly spread through her whole body and before she could even cry out she was jerked back. She felt that same sensation of falling back again before she landed on something soft and springy. She bounced a bit, which just did wonders for the headache she had started, before settling into what felt like normal blankets and pillows.

"There you are."

Despite the headache and the pain, she quickly opened her eyes and looked around, not wanting another incident like last time. But she found herself in a normal women's bedroom, the blue TARDIS parked just to the side of the bed and a man sitting at the makeup table, staring at her through the mirror. He was older, maybe in his late fifties, with bushy eyebrows, a hooked nose, and thin lips. "Are you... the Doctor?" She asked, eying him wearily in the mirror. He raised one of those bushy eyebrows before whipping around and looking at her.

"Where did you just come from?" He asked in a deep, Scottish accent.

She opened her mouth to answer, but quickly snapped her mouth shut, remembering his warning about talking about the future. "Are you the Doctor?" She asked again, watching him nod and roll his eyes. "Which regeneration?"

His lips twitched up into an amused smile, shaking his head. "12."

"Right." She muttered, nodding. "Um, I was dissected and there was lizard people-"

"Homo reptilia. The big drill, crack in the wall." He nodded, clearly recognizing what she was talking about. "Yes, yes." He turned back around, messing with some of the perfume and makeup on the makeup table. "You're very young then."

"That's what I've been told." She muttered, rubbing her face tiredly. She made her way to the edge of the bed, throwing her legs over and putting her head in her hands. "Do you often just sit in women's bedrooms or is this a special occasion."

"It's Clara's bedroom." He said simply, shrugging. "My companion. She's on a date. I'm waiting here just in case it goes well."

Ivy lifted her head, studying him in the mirror to see if he was joking or not. But he looked completely serious as he sprayed some of the perfume, wrinkling his nose at the smell and then setting it back down. "You're waiting in her _bedroom _just in case the date goes well?"

"Yes." He shrugged, looking up at her and clearly not understanding her disbelieving tone. "I'm being _considerate _like your always whining about."

She glared at him, but decided to let that one go as the bedroom door shot open and slammed right into the TARDIS. The Doctor glanced up, looking at whoever had come in. Hopefully it wasn't a half-naked couple ready for some fun. "You'll just have to squeeze through."

"Doctor?" A British women, who Ivy assumed was Clara, called, sounding slightly annoyed. Ivy couldn't blame her.

"Why do you have three mirrors?" The Doctor asked, either ignoring her tone or not hearing it. "Why don't you just turn your head?"

"What are you doing in here?" Clara demanded, heading into the bedroom and shutting the door behind her.

"You said you had a date. I thought I'd better hide in the bedroom in case you brought him home." He said, earning an eye roll from the pretty Burnette that made her way toward the bed. Ivy hopped up, realizing how odd and rude it was to be sitting on a complete stranger's bed, but the women just nodded at her, completely unfazed by her presence. Obviously, like Amy, Clara already knew Ivy. "Bit early, aren't you? Did it all go wrong? Or is this good by your standards?"

Ivy could already tell from the women's face and the way she curled up on the bed that it had, indeed, gone horribly wrong. "Yes," Ivy muttered, glaring at the Doctor. "You are doing real well on the considerate thing."

"It was a disaster and I'm extremely upset about it, since you didn't ask." Clara snapped, before hugging the pillow and laying on the bed. The Doctor didn't seem to care though, because he turned, looking at her with bright, excited eyes.

"Fine! I need you, for a thing." He said, getting up and walking toward the TARDIS. Clara sighed though, shaking her head.

"I can't." She grumbled, hugging the pillow tighter.

"Oh, of course you can. Come on, you're free. More than usually free, in fact." He shrugged, smiling. Ivy rolled her eyes, glaring over at him but that didn't even seem to faze him. So Ten was cocky, Eleven was a child and Twelve was just plain rude.

"No, it's just possible that I might get a phone call." Clara said, leaning up and looking at her phone hopefully.

"From the date guy? It's too late. You've taken your make-up off!" He cried and Ivy closed her eyes, shaking her head. Or maybe clueless was a better word.

"No, she hasn't." Ivy sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"I'm still wearing my make-up." Clara insisted, looking slightly hurt by the Doctor's words.

"Oh, right, OK, well, you probably just missed a bit." He said simply, before waving them both forward. "Come on. Come on, come on, come on."

He quickly walked into the TARDIS and Clara sighed, glancing over at Ivy. "He always like this?" Ivy asked, raising an eyebrow at where the Doctor had just been standing. Clara look confused for a moment and Ivy quickly back tracked. "I'm... young."

"Oh," Clara said, blinking at her. "Well... yeah. Pretty much."

"You're Clara, right?"

"You haven't met me yet?" She asked, looking slightly hurt. Ivy frowned, running a hand through her hair. She was going to have to figure out how to make these introductions a bit better and without offending the people. Not that it was her fault she didn't recognize someone she had never met before.

"No, sorry."

"You are young." Clara remarked, before smiling at her easily. "Yeah, I'm Clara. Clara Oswald."

"Nice to meet-"

"Enough girl talk!" The Doctor cried, suddenly sticking his head back out of the TARDIS door and looking completely annoyed. "Come on!"

"Rude and clueless." Ivy muttered, following after Clara into the TARDIS. This console room was completely different from the others, grey and metal with alien symbols carved into the metal around the console toward the ceiling and a second level around the outside of the room that was lined with books and various different things.

"I haven't actually said yes." Clara remarked, holding her heels in her hands.

"Yes, you know sometimes when you talk to yourself?" The Doctor asked, turning back toward the two of them and completely ignoring Clara's denial in coming. "What if you're not?"

"Not what?" Ivy asked, taking in the intense look in his eyes.

"What if it's not you you're talking to?" He asked, looking between the two of them. "Proposition: What if no one is ever really alone? What if every single living being has a companion, a silent passenger, a shadow?" He paused, staring at the two of them intently and walking forward. "What if the prickle on the back of your neck is the breathe of something close behind you?"

Ivy tilted her head, wondering if this one was senile as well as rude and clueless. She glanced at Clara, trying to see if this was normal or she was right in thinking this was odd. Clara looked just as skeptical though, pursing her lips and studying him. "How long have you been travelling alone?" She asked, sounding a bit sad and concerned.

The Doctor stared at her, taking a step forward. "Perhaps I never have." He said gravelly, before glancing over at Ivy and taking off up the stairs. "I was thinking, talking to myself earlier." He explained, bounding up the stairs toward a chalk board. Clara sighed, giving Ivy a tired look, before taking off after him. Ivy followed too, unsure of where this was going. "While I was, this appeared on the board."

He pointed toward the chalkboard, which had the word 'LISTEN' written in very messy handwriting. Clara studied it for a moment, her arms crossed, before she glanced at the Doctor wearily. "It looks like your handwriting."

"Well, I couldn't have written it and forgotten, could I?" He scoffed.

"Have you met you?" Clara asked, chuckling.

"Yeah, I don't even know you that well and I can see that." Ivy pointed out, earning a glare from the Doctor and an amused smile from Clara.

"What's all this?" Clara asked, glancing behind her at several books that were lying around.

"Dreams." The Doctor said. "Accounts of dreams, by different people, all through history. You see, I have a theory."

"I bet you have. What theory?" Clara muttered, flipping through one of the books. Ivy picked up a rather old looking one, appreciating the feel of the pages and the smell. If there was one thing Ivy loved, it was the smell of books.

"I think everybody, at some point in their lives, has the exact same nightmare." The Doctor said, grinning at the two of them. "You wake up, or you think you do, and there's someone in the dark, someone close, or you think there might be. So you sit up and turn on the light. And the room looks different at night. It ticks and creaks and breathes. And you tell yourself there's nothing there. Nobody watching. Nobody listening. Nobody there at all. And you very nearly believe it. You really, really try. And then..." He paused, rather dramatically and Ivy was sure he was enjoying the raptured attention he had from the two of them. "Something grabs you."

He turned on his heel, heading back down the stairs with Clara and Ivy right behind him. "There are accounts of that dream throughout human history. Time and time again, the same dream. Now, there is a very obvious question I'm about to ask you." He turned, looking down at Clara. "Do you know what it is?"

"Have you had that dream?" Clara asked, looking up at the Doctor curiously.

"Exactly!"

"No, that was me asking you." Clara said. "Have you had that dream?"

"I asked first." The Doctor said defensively.

"No, she did." Ivy pointed out, causing the Doctor to huff.

"No, you really didn't." He scoffed, sounding like some competitive child. Ivy rolled her eyes, her lips twitching up into a smile.

"Ok." Clara said, shrugging. "Yeah, probably. Yes. But everybody dreams about something under the bed."

"Why?" The Doctor asked, leaning a bit closer in his excitement. He suddenly reached out, grabbing Clara's arm and yanking her around the console toward some kind of odd, pink goop looking substance in the console.

"What-" She started but the Doctor grabbed both her hands, shoving them into the pink goop. She cringed, but still looked a bit fascinated.

"Just hold on tight. If anything bites, let it."

"What is it?"

"TARDIS telepathic interface." He explained. "You're now in mental contact with the TARDIS, so don't think anything rude."

"Why not?" Clara asked, looking a bit fearful.

"It might end up on all the screens." He said, walking around the console. "The TARDIS is extrapolating your entire timeline, from the moment of your birth to the moment of your death."

At that, Clara's eyes widened and she leaned close to the middle of the console and whispered, "Which I do not need a preview of."

"I'm turning off the safeguard on the navigation." He pressed a couple buttons, before swiveling one of the screens toward Clara. "I'm slaving the TARDIS to you. Focus on the dream. Focus on the details. Picture them, feel them. The TARDIS will track on your subconscious and extract the relevant information. It should be able to home in on the moment in your timeline when you first had that dream. And then... we'll see."

"What will we see?" Ivy asked cautiously.

"What's under the bed." He grinned quite excitedly, before zooming around Clara and shoving a lever up. The TARDIS whirred and Ivy saw the pink goop begin to move, seeming to suck at her fingers. "Ok, now, don't get distracted. Remember, you are flying a time machine!" He said, pointing at her. Clara closed her eyes, clearly concentrating. But suddenly a phone rang and from the way Clara flinched, Ivy knew it was hers. "No, no don't you dare! No!" The Doctor cried, hurrying around the console toward her, grabbing the phone and chucking it back. "Just ignore it."

"Nice." Ivy muttered, shaking her head.

"She has to concentrate!" He said. The TARDIS suddenly jerked to a stop, the room shaking just a bit. "Ok, that's good. That worked. We're here!"

"Sorry, I think I got distracted." Clara admitted sheepishly, looking a bit nervous.

"No, no, no, no. The date's fine." He headed toward the door, pulling Ivy with him and beckoned Clara forward. "Come on."

"Come on, where?" Clara asked, glancing over at Ivy nervously.

"You're childhood." With that he yanked the door open, slipping out the door with Ivy. They stepped out into the dark, wet yard of a large, imposing building. It was older and when Ivy looked up she saw The West Country Children's Home written in big letters. Ivy frowned, looking away. "Gloucester, by the ozone level and the drains, mid-90s." The Doctor explained, glancing back at Clara as she jogged across the grass to catch up with them. "You must have been here when you had the dream."

But Clara shook her head, looking up at the building with no recognition. "Never been to Gloucester in my life." Clara said, shrugging. "And I've never lived in a children's home."

"You've probably just forgotten." The Doctor chuckled, completely unfazed by her lack of recognition.

"You don't forget living in a home." Ivy muttered, wrapping her arms around herself to stave off the cold.

"Have you seen the size of human brains?" The Doctor scoffed, giving her an amused look. "They're hilarious. Little you must be in there somewhere, with your little brain."

"Isn't it bad if I meet myself?" Clara asked, looking up at the building worriedly.

The Doctor frowned, seeming to realize that this was actually a bad idea. "It is potentially catastrophic." He muttered, scratching his jaw.

"So, why did you bring me out here?"

"I was still talking, I needed someone to nod." The Doctor said absentmindedly and Ivy closed her eyes, shaking her head.

"Really?" She muttered, earning a simple shrug from the Doctor.

"Well, you just give me those angry eyes of yours." He countered, before looking down at Clara and pushing her toward the TARDIS. "Probably best for you to wait in the TARDIS."

Clara stumbled toward the ship, but quickly looked back worriedly. "Doctor..." She whined, but he quickly waved her toward the TARDIS.

"We'll see you in a minute." He assured her, turning to pull Ivy with him across the lawn. "TARDIS!" He ordered again when Clara called for him, turning as they continued across the lawn.

"If I had been distracted, what would have happened?" Clara asked, looking at the building nervously again.

"We would probably have ended up in the wrong place." He said, waving his hand and looking unworried. "But don't think we have, cos the time zone's right. We won't be long!"

He turned back around, laying his hand on the small of Ivy's back and pulling her along. "Are you sure we're in the right place?" Ivy asked, glancing up at the imposing building. "You can go on all you want about tiny human brains like a jackass," She snapped, earning nothing but an eye roll from him. "But no one forgets living in a children's home. I think I'd know."

"Well of course you remember. Scary nuns slapping you on the hand..." He paused, pulling out his sonic as they entered the building. "Getting a name like Mary Sue Poots-"

Ivy gasped, whipping out and punching him straight in the arm. He yelped, giving her an offended look. "How do you even... don't you _ever _call me that again!"

"You nearly broke my arm!"

"I'll beat you so hard you regenerate if I ever hear that name out of your mouth again!" She hissed as the Doctor continued to rub his arm and gave her an offended look. She gave him one last warning glare before continuing down the hallway. The Doctor huffed, still clearly scandalized by the fact that she had punched him before he began to sonic the hallway.

They paused when they passed an empty office, with a messy desk, an old computer and a lone light on it. Ivy heard the indistinct chatter of a television somewhere before a door behind the desk opened and an older man walked out. He blinked at them, clearly confused by their presence. "How did you get in?"

"Your door must be faulty." The Doctor muttered, taking a step into the office. "Like my arm is now." He added under his breathe, earning a cocky smile from Ivy. He walked further in, pulling out what looked like a thin wallet, flipping it open to a blank white sheet of paper. Ivy was about to say something but the man squinted at it, sighing.

"An inspection." He muttered, before looking up at the Doctor in irritation. "It's 2 in the morning."

"When better?" The Doctor asked, slipping the paper back into his jacket. Ivy would have to ask about that thing later. "Do you always work here nights?"

"Most nights, yes."

"You ever end up talking to yourself?" The Doctor asked, staring at the man intently.

"All the time." He responded, chuckling. "It's this place. You can't help it."

"What about your coffee?" The Doctor asked and the man turned, looking down at the yellow mug filled with the brown liquid.

"My coffee?"

"Sometimes, do you put it down and look around and it's not there?"

"Everybody does that." The man scoffed, shrugging. Ivy couldn't blame him. How many times had she done the same thing with a drink, homework, or her keys?

"Yes. Everybody." The Doctor muttered, undeterred by his nonchalant attitude. Suddenly there was a click, the light from the television behind the windows flickering out. Ivy felt a chill run down her spine as the three of them turned toward the office. "Who turned your telly off?"

As the man wasn't looking, the Doctor reached out, grabbing the coffee before pulling Ivy quickly out of the Office and down the hallway. She heard the man mutter something, but they were already heading down the hallway and away from him. "Did you have to steal his coffee?" She muttered, rolling her eyes as he sipped at it happily.

"Why? Did you want some?" He asked, holding the yellow mug out to her. She couldn't say, as the sweet smell drifted past, that it wasn't tempting.

"Will you give me weird... alien germs?" She asked cautiously and the Doctor scoffed, shaking his head.

"Alien germs. You humans, I swear..." He muttered, sticking the mug out again. "Take the coffee."

She took the mug from him, humming at the warmth surrounding the mug before sipping at it. "Coffee from the 90's. Always the best."

~DW~

"Where is he?"

The Doctor flipped through the child's book as Clara and the young boy whipped around, clearly terrified. "Doctor?" Clara breathed, still cautiously eying whatever was on the bed. Ivy didn't take her eyes off it, the small hairs on the back of her neck standing on end as she stared at it. She hoped, prayed that the thing under the blanket was nothing more than a child playing a prank on the poor kid... but when it came to adventures with the Doctor, it never was that simple.

"I can't find him. Can you find him?" The Doctor asked, glancing up at the young boy next to Clara.

"Find who?"

"Wally." The Doctor said simply, flipping through more pages in frustration. "He's nowhere in this book."

"It's not a _Where's Wally _one." The boy said, looking at the Doctor like he was stupid. It didn't deter the alien though, because he continued looking.

"Well, how would you know? Maybe you just haven't found him yet." The Doctor scoffed.

"He's not in every book."

"Really?" The Doctor said, looking up at the boy. "Well, that's a few years of my life I'll be needing back." He slammed the book shut, tossing it to the side before coming to stand in front of the young boy. "Are you scared?" He asked softly, earning a nervous look from him. "The thing on the bed, whatever it is, look at it. Does it scare you?"

"Yes." The boy admitted, eyeing the mass under the blanket.

"Well, that's good." The Doctor said, his eyes meeting the young boys. "Want to know why that's good?"

"Why?"

"Let me tell you about scared. Your heart is beating so hard," He reached down, grabbing the boys hands in his, "I can feel it through your hands. There's so much blood and oxygen pumping through your brain, it's like rocket fuel. Right now, you could run faster and you could fight harder, you could jump higher than ever in your life and you are so alert, it's like you can slow... down... time." He grinned at the young boy, studying him. "What's wrong with scared? Scared is a superpower. It's your superpower. There is danger in this room, and guess what? It's you! Do you feel it?" The young boy nodded, lifting his chin and looking at the Doctor with a bit braver face. "Do you think he feels it?" The Doctor asked, pointing toward the thing under the blanket. "Do you think he's scared? Nah. Loser. Turn your back on him."

"What?" The boy asked, looking a bit fearful at the thought, despite the Doctor's speech.

"Yeah, turn your back on him. Come on." The Doctor urged, standing up straight and turning away from the thing on the bed. He reached out, pulling Ivy toward him and making her turn as well. She hated it, feeling the thing just behind her despite not having her eyes on it anymore. "You too, Clara. Clara, your back, now." Clara stared at the figure for just a second longer before doing as the Doctor said and walking toward the window with them and turning around. The young boy hesitated though, obviously still too scared to do the same.

"Do it. Just do it now. Turn your back." Ivy urged, smiling reassuringly at him.

"Do it now. Turn your back." The Doctor ordered, waving him toward them. He slowly began to walk over to them, but still kept glancing back. "Lovely view out this window."

"Yeah," Clara muttered. "Come and see all the... dark."

"The deep and lovely dark." The Doctor sighed as the boy finally came to stand between the Doctor and Clara. "We'd never see the stars without it. Now, there are two possibilities. Possibility one: it's just one of your friends standing there and he's playing a joke on you. Possibility two: it isn't."

"So, do we have a plan? Those are always good." Ivy muttered, trying to stare out the window and fight the horrible urge to look back.

"You on the bed, I'm talking to you now." The Doctor called, his voice tense. "Go in peace. We won't look. Just go. If all you want to do is stay hidden, it's OK. Just leave."

The bed creaked suddenly and Ivy tried to listen for footsteps, but heard nothing. She wanted so badly to turn, to figure out where the thing had gone or was going but she held her ground. "Is it gone?" She asked, her hands shaking slightly. The Doctor seemed to sense her panic, because he grabbed the hand closest to her, squeezing it gently.

"Don't look round. Not yet." He whispered, his fingers still tight around hers.

"I can't hear anything." The boy said, his own voice shaking with fear.

"Don't look round." But the boy didn't listen. He tried to sneak a glance, but the Doctor quickly stopped him. "Look away! Look away now! Don't look at it. Don't look round. Don't even look at the reflection."

"What is it?" The boy asked urgently.

"Imagine a thing," The Doctor said as something rustled behind them. "That must never be seen. What would it do if you saw it?"

"I don't know."

"Neither do I." The Doctor admitted, before snapping his eyes shut. "Close your eyes."

"What?"

"Close your eyes." He ordered again and the boy snapped his eye shut. "Both of you as well. Give it what it wants. Prove to it that you're not gonna look at it."

Ivy took a deep breath before slowly closing her eyes. She could still feel the Doctor's warm hand in hers, his fingers tightly wrapped around hers and she squeezed back.

"Make a promise. Promise you're never gonna look at it." The Doctor continued, his voice even and calm.

"I promise never to look."

There was a pause and Ivy still didn't hear anything to let her know if the thing had gone or not. Her heart beat in her chest, loud and fast.

"The breath on the back of your neck... like your hair is standing on end. That means don't look round." The Doctor whispered and after another pause, there was a loud slam and Ivy, the boy and Clara whipped around to find the door shut and the robe hanging there swinging back and forth.

"Gone." Clara said, glancing over at the Doctor. He gave the room a once over, before nodding in agreement.

"Gone."

Ivy realized then she was still gripping the alien's hand rather tightly and she quickly dropped it, instead folding her arms across her chest. The Doctor glanced at her, his eyes critical and searching before he quickly looked away. Ivy wasn't sure, but for a moment she swore he looked a bit... hurt.

"He took my bedspread." The boy complained, staring at his bare bed dejectedly. Ivy couldn't help it, but she gave a little laugh.

"Oh, the human race." The Doctor sighed, shaking his head. "You're never happy, are you?"

The boy walked over to his bed, glancing at it cautiously, as though something might bite him before slowly crawling back up and sitting down. The Doctor sat back in the rocking chair, grabbing a robot and fiddling with it a bit as the boy looked back at them.

"Am I safe now?" He asked, looking worriedly at the three of them.

"No. Especially not at night, in the dark. Anything can get you." The Doctor muttered, turning something on the robot. Ivy blinked at him, staring in disbelief. "You're all the way up here, you're all alone." Luckily Clara, who had begun to search through the dresser against the wall, whipped her hand out and slapped him against the head. He turned, staring at her in confusion. "What was that for?"

"Shut up-"

"Yes, please." Ivy added, earning a hurt look from the Doctor.

"Leave this to me." Clara muttered, grabbing a small shoe box and walking to the bed. She lay it gingerly in front of him, revealing a bunch of little toy soldiers. "These yours?"

"They're the home's." He muttered, watching as Clara began to pluck them from the box.

"They're yours now."

"People don't need to be lied to." The Doctor snapped, glaring at Clara.

"People don't need to be scared by a big grey-haired stick insect, but here you are." Clara snapped back and Ivy laughed. She definitely liked Clara. "Stay still, shut up." She ordered, before leaning down and placing several of the soldiers along the floor around the boys bed. "See what I'm doing? This is your army."

"Plastic army." The Doctor grumbled, beginning to stand from the rocking chair.

"Sit!" Ivy ordered and he sighed, sitting himself back down. "Shut it." She hissed at him, earning a rather unhappy look that reminded her of a child pouting after getting told what to do.

"And they're gonna guard under your bed." Clara placed a couple more on the floor before holding up a small one. "You see this one? This one's the boss one. The colonel. He's gonna keep a special eye out."

"It's broken, that one." The boy said, glancing at it skeptically. "It doesn't have a gun."

"That's why he's the boss." Clara said simply, smiling at him. "A soldier so brave he doesn't need a gun. He can keep the whole world safe. What shall we call him?"

"Dan." The boy said immediately. Clara glanced up, something odd in her eyes as she studied him.

"Sorry?"

"Dan, the soldier man." The boy smiled, taking the soldier from her and holding it up. "That's what I call him."

"Good." Clara muttered, sounding a bit far away. "Good name."

"Yeah." He agreed, before lowering the soldier. "Would you read me a story? It'll help me get to sleep."

"Sure." Clara grinned as the Doctor shot up from his chair and walked toward the boy.

"Once upon a time." The Doctor started before pressing a single finger to the boy's forehead. His eyes slid shut and he promptly fell back against the pillow, lying completely still. "The end."

"What did you do?" Ivy asked, looking down at the boy in alarm. The Doctor looked over at her though, unfazed.

"Dad skills." He said simply, before heading toward the door. "Come on."

~DW~

They made their way back to the TARDIS and the Doctor quickly began to walk around the console, flipping things and hitting others to set the TARDIS going. Clara sat down on the stairs, watching the Doctor nervously. "So..." She started. "Is it possible that we just saved that kid from another kid in a bedspread?"

"Entirely possible, yes." The Doctor shrugged, fiddling with some kind of device. "The bigger question is, why did we end up with him and not you?"

Clara chewed her lip before pulling herself up and walking toward the console. "I got distracted." She admitted sheepishly.

"But why that particular boy? You don't have any kind of connection with him, do you?" He asked, looking around the center of the console toward her.

"No, no, no, of course not." Clara said quickly... a bit too quickly. "Why do you ask?"

"The TARDIS was slaved to your timeline." The Doctor explained, looking confused and frustrated. "Theoretically, there should've been some connection."

"Will... will he remember any of that?" Clara asked, eying the Doctor nervously. Ivy narrowed her eyes, studying Clara. She knew the boy... there was no doubt about it from the way she was acting. Ivy didn't understand though, why she was denying it.

"Scrambled his memory." The Doctor assured her, shoving a screw driver into the device and twisting it. "Gave him a big old dream about being Dan the solider man." He chuckled, clearly amused by this before shoving the screw driver back into the device. Clara though, seemed slightly alarmed by this and sighed, dropping her head onto the console. She moaned, which finally caught the Doctor's attention. He walked around toward her, staring down at her with wide eyes.

"Do something." The Doctor hissed, waving his hand toward Clara. Ivy gaped at him, shaking her head.

"I barely know her!" She muttered, eyeing the clearly conflicted girl. "You do something."

"Doctor... I am sorry to ask." Clara said, finally lifting her head and looking over at the man. "And, you know, I realize this is probably against the laws of time, or some, erm..." She trailed off, eyeing the Time Lord before she lay her hands on each shoulder and looking up at him with big, hopeful eyes. "Could you do me a favor?"

The Doctor glanced over at Ivy, as though she should know what on Earth Clara was going to ask and she just shrugged back. "What favor?" He asked cautiously, already looking like he was going to regret this.

"Help me fix my date?"

**There it is. I'll update again in a week or so. Please, please, please leave reviews! **

**Thanks loves :)**


	6. Listen: Part 2

**Hiya guys :) Updated quite a bit sooner because it might take awhile again because I have a LOT coming up with school. Thank you to those of you who favorited and alerted and reviewed. Special thanks to margie-me for the corrections and the help. I really appreciate it! I'm pretty sure I fixed most of it, but I might have missed some haha**

**Disclaimer: Own nothing :(**

"I am trying to have a date! A real-life, inter-human date!"

Ivy watched as Clara stormed down the stairs, following after the man in the suit with a murderous look on her face. "Um, Clara-" She tried, but Clara was just getting started.

"It's a normal, nice, everyday meeting-up sort of thing and I would just like to know, is there any other way you can make this anymore surreal than it already is?" She snapped, coming to stand before the orange suit and glaring up at it. Orson pulled the top off after she finished, giving her a nervous smile.

"Hello." He said. Clara stared at him with wide eyes, clearly confused by him.

"Ah, Clara!" The Doctor called, coming down the stairs and toward them. "Well done, you found her. Now, this is really a bit strange."

"Danny?" Clara whispered, looking at the man in alarm.

"No, he's-" Ivy started, but the Doctor cut her off, looking at Clara curiously.

"What's going on with your face?" He asked, leaning a bit closer to her. "It's all eyes. Why are you all eyes? Get them under control."

"Who's Danny?" Orson asked.

"This is Colonel Orson Pink, from about a hundred years into your future." The Doctor explained, grinning at Orson in delight.

"Orson Pink?" Clara said, laughing a bit hysterically. Clearly this Orson reminded her of someone. She had stared at the man like he was a ghost.

"Yeah, I laughed, too. Sorry." The Doctor chuckled, looking anything but. "Do you have any connection with him?"

"Connection?"

"Yes, maybe you're like a distant relative or something?" The Doctor asked, waving his hand toward Orson Pink and eying Clara.

"H-how would I know?" Clara stuttered, her eyes bugging out of her head. Ivy couldn't hide the smile on her lips. Clara wasn't very subtle, that was for sure.

"Right, OK." The Doctor muttered, shaking his head. "Erm, well, do you have any old family photographs of her? You know, probably quite old and really fat-looking?"

Ivy immediately slapped his arm and he huffed, glaring at her angrily. "Rude." She snapped, shaking her head.

"I don't." Orson muttered, shaking his head. Clara suddenly grabbed the Doctor's arm, pulling him and Ivy to the side, that surprised, wide eyed on her look on her face.

"How did you two find him?" She whispered, unable to take her eyes off Orson.

"Well, you left a trace in the TARDIS telepathic circuits." The Doctor explained. "I fired them up again and the TARDIS brought me straight to him." He pointed excitedly at Orson. "So he has something to do with your timeline!"

"Okay..." Clara said, smiling nervously.

"And you will never guess where we found him." The Doctor grinned, looking at the three of them excitedly.

~DW~

She stared out the tiny window at the rocky, red landscape sadly. "Where are we?" Clara asked, looking over at the Doctor cautiously.

"The end of the road." The Doctor muttered, his face glowing red from the light outside. "This is it. The end of everything. The last planet."

"The end of the universe?" Clara asked, frowning.

"The TARDIS isn't supposed to come this far, but some idiot turned the safeguards off. Listen!" The Doctor said, making Clara jump up from her seat near the window. She paused, glancing around nervously and trying to hear whatever it was the Doctor was. But there was nothing.

"To what?"

"Nothing." He said after a long pause, shrugging. "There's nothing to hear! There's nothing anywhere. Not a breath, not a slither, not a click or a tick. All the clocks have stopped. This is the silence at the end of time."

"Super depressing." Ivy mumbled, glancing back out the window, an eerie, horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. They shouldn't be here, they shouldn't be seeing this. No one should.

There was a sudden clang and Ivy glanced down the small hallway to see Orson gathering the last of his things hastily. At least one good thing had come from going this far. The poor man would get to go home and wouldn't be stuck here anymore.

"Then how did he get here?" Clara asked curiously, walking up to the Doctor. "If he's a hundred years in the future..."

"Pioneer time traveler." The Doctor explained, pulling his sonic out and aiming it at one of the computer screens. It buzzed, the screen blurring before a video pulled up of Orson Pink. "Rode the first of the great time shots. They were supposed to fire him into the middle of the next week."

"What happened?" Ivy asked, watching the Orson on the screen wave at the crowd happily.

"He went a bit far."

"A bit?" Clara scoffed, eying the Doctor.

"A big bit. Look at him now." The Doctor muttered, staring down at the screen of what looked like an interview with him. "Robinson Crusoe at the end of time itself. The last man standing in the universe. I always thought that would be me."

Ivy looked up at him, shaking her head. "It's not a competition." She muttered, giving him an incredulous look.

"I know it's not a competition." He grumbled, walking away. "'Course it isn't. There's still time, though."

"He looks like he's packing." Clara said, glancing down the hallway toward the time traveler.

"He's been stranded for six months, just met a time traveler. Of course he's packing."

Orson finally finished, grabbing his large pack and jogging down the hallway toward them. He lay it down in front of them, looking over at the Doctor eagerly. "You can do it, then? You can get me home?"

"I just showed you, didn't I? A test flight to a restaurant." The Doctor scoffed, giving Orson an offended look.

"Yes, but to my family, to my own time?" Orson asked, tying his pack hastily.

"Easy." The Doctor said nonchalantly. "I can do that, can't I, Clara, Ivy?"

"He can, yes." Clara said quickly, nodding her head enthusiastically.

"Yep." Ivy added, smiling at Orson. But the man was looking at over at Clara, clearly a bit worried by the way she was looking at him. Ivy couldn't blame him.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," Clara said, shrugging. "Fine. I'm fine."

"Do I know you?"

"No... nope." Clara muttered, shaking her head slowly. But her eyes were still huge and her brow was furrowed. Ivy didn't know the women well, but she could tell she was lying. She wasn't the greatest at hiding it.

"Is she doing the 'all eyes' thing?" The Doctor asked, tilting his head and studying the young women. "It's because her face is so wide. She needs three mirrors."

"You are _so_ rude." Ivy groaned, looking over at the older man in disbelief. He blinked at her innocently as he walked over to a pillar and leaned against it, clearly not understanding what he had done wrong.

"What? You saw them." He said, shaking his head before looking back at Orson. "We can't leave immediately, though. The TARDIS needs to recharge."

Ivy raised an eyebrow, glancing over at the blue box. She was about to ask about the truth of that, but when she looked over at Clara, who looked just as confused and disbelieving, she already knew it wasn't true.

"Sorry... what?"

"Over night. That should do it, shouldn't it, Clara?" The Doctor asked pointedly, but stared intently at Orson as he said it. The time traveler looked torn between fear and anger, his shoulders sagging and his pack lying uselessly on the floor.

"Over night?" He asked nervously. The Doctor continued to stare, studying him as he walked forward.

"One more night, that's... that's not a problem, is it?"

Orson frowned, visibly uneasy at the idea of staying one more night. Ivy got the eerie feeling that it was more than just the thought of staying here for a bit longer before getting back to his family. There was fear in his brown eyes, deep and intense. But he muttered a 'no', obviously trying to be brave. "No, no problem."

Ivy raised an eyebrow, her skin prickling as she looked cautiously around the ship. What, at the end of the universe, could have this man that afraid?

"It's a shame, isn't it?" The Doctor whispered, staring at Orson as he continued to fiddle with his pack.

"What's a shame?" The man grumbled, glaring down at the floor.

"There's only four people left in the universe and you're lying to the other three." The Doctor muttered, meeting the traveler's fearful eyes before turning. "It was the first thing I noticed when I stepped in here. You must have seen it too, Clara, you've got eyes out to here." He scoffed, waving his hand about a foot away from his face.

"Seen what?" Ivy sighed, rolling her eyes.

"The universe is dead. Everything that ever was is dead and gone. There's nothing beyond this door but nothingness, forever." The Doctor waved at the giant, circular door, but stared at Orson intently. But the man wouldn't meet his eyes, shame and more fear flickering in his eyes. "So why is it locked?"

Ivy looked over at the door, realizing that the thing indeed was locked, with the giant letters lit up in a bright green. She glanced nervously over at Orson, who stared down at the floor pitifully. "Please..." He begged, desperate and scared. "Please... don't make me spend another night here."

The Doctor walked toward the pleading man, his eyes twinkling with curiosity. "Afraid of the dark. But the dark is empty now."

"No." Orson breathed, looking toward the small, circle window and shaking his head. "No, it isn't."

"Doctor, can't we just take him and then come back?" Ivy asked, feeling horrible for the poor man. That and she didn't want to be here anymore. Maybe it was the man's lonely mind playing tricks on him, but there was a real possibility that, even at the end of the universe, something was still here.

"The TARDIS needs to recharge." The Doctor insisted, giving her a look that clearly said 'shut up', before looking over at Orson cheerfully. "You can wait in the TARDIS. Nothing can get in through those doors. Clara, help him."

Clara glanced at Orson nervously, but nodded and grabbed his large pack before heading toward the TARDIS. Ivy turned back toward the Doctor, sighing. "Seriously? We can't take the poor guy home?"

"No." The Doctor said simply, grabbing one of the chairs and seating himself in front of the computer screens. "He'll be fine for one more night."

Ivy sighed, taking a seat next to the Doctor. "What exactly are we going to do if we find these creatures?" She asked, glancing at him. "You said yourself they don't want to be seen. They could get violent."

The Doctor looked over at her, leaning in a bit. "They probably will. And if they do, you will go into the TARDIS, no questions asked, do you understand?"

"I don't-"

"You'll do as I say, Ivy." He snapped, giving her a warning look. But Ivy glared back, opening her mouth to argue. He reached out, grabbing her arm and leaned in close. "You will. I will not have you in more danger than necessary."

Ivy wanted to argue because she hated being told what to do, but there was something about the way he looked at her that made her stop. She stared into his green eyes, seeing some kind of fear there, one that almost scared her. "Fine." She muttered, pulling away from him and leaning back in the chair. "But you're a little late on the 'no danger' thing."

His eyes lingered on her a moment longer before he looked back at the computer screen. "I know." He mumbled, looking far away.

"Wh-"

"So he's in the guest bedroom." Clara said, walking out of the TARDIS and taking a seat next to the two of them. She also looked a bit spooked, chewing on her lip nervously before glancing at the Doctor. "What are we doing?"

"Waiting." The Doctor said, setting his chin on his hand and gazing at the computers.

"For what? For who?" Clara asked, leaning back in her chair and gazing up at the window, her face illuminated in the red glow. "If everybody in the universe is dead, then there's nobody out there."

"That's one way of looking at it." The Doctor muttered.

"What's the other?"

"That's a hell of a lot of ghosts." He said, just before an ominous creaking echoed through the metal ship and the lights switched to a light blue. The three of them glanced up nervously and Ivy felt goose bumps raise on her arm.

"Do you have your own mood lighting now, because frankly, the accent is enough." Clara asked, eying the lights nervously. The Doctor glanced at her, slightly offended, before noticing that Clara was staring at something. He and Ivy followed her gaze and Ivy felt a twist in her stomach as she saw 'DON'T OPEN THE DOOR' written across the circular door.

"Where did that come from?" Ivy asked uneasily.

"It's always been there." The Doctor said, leaning back in his chair.

"But who wrote it?" Clara asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Colonel Pink." The alien said, looking over at the two of them. "Apparently, at night, he needs a reminder. Six months stranded alone, I suppose it must be tempting."

"What is?"

"Company."

The metal creaked again and Ivy jumped a bit, looking around cautiously. "What the hell was that?"

"What kind of explanation would you like?" The Doctor asked, continuing to stare up at the ship.

"A reassuring one." Ivy muttered, chewing on her lip fearfully.

"Second." Clara added.

"Well," The Doctor said, leaning up a bit in his seat. "The systems are switching to low power. There are temperature differentials all over this ship. It's like... pipes banging when the heating goes off."

Ivy tapped her fingers against the arm of the chair fearfully, continuing to glance around. "Always thought something was in the pipes." She mumbled and the Doctor grinned.

"Me, too." He said, before he whipped around and looked over at Clara. "Who were you having dinner with?"

Clara chuckled nervously, caught off guard by the random question. "Are you making conversation?" She said, clearly dodging the question.

"I thought I would give it a try." He muttered, wrinkling his nose and shrugging. But he looked over at her, waiting for an answer.

"I told you." She sighed, staring down at her hands. "A date."

"Serious?"

"It's a date?" She shrugged, but from the look on her face, Ivy could tell it had been. You didn't look like that when it wasn't. Ivy remembered that look...

"A serious date?" The Doctor continued to question, eying his friend curiously.

Clara smiled, looking up at him with an amused glint in her eyes. "Do I have to bring him to you two for approval?" Clara chuckled, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I would like to know about his prospects." He said, smiling. "If you like, I can pop ahead and check them out."

"I think you would do more harm than good with that." Ivy said, giving him a look. He glared, huffing.

"Yeah, I think you've done enough." Clara agreed.

Suddenly there was a shriek of metal on metal, making the three of them jump and straighten in their chairs. Air suddenly hissed through the ship and the Doctor stood cautiously, looking around. "Atmospheric pressure equalizing." He mumbled, but even Ivy could tell he didn't believe it.

"Or...?"

"Company." He slowly began to walk around the room, looking around with sharp, curious eyes.

"Why are we doing this?" Ivy snapped, standing up nervously and folding her arms. "Why don't we just go?"

"Because I need to know." The Doctor insisted, walking toward her and looking desperate and intense.

"Why?" Clara asked, her voice wavering. "About what?"

"Suppose that there are creatures that live to hide." He said eagerly, his eyes filled with passion. "That only show themselves to the very young or the very old or the mad or anyone who wouldn't be believed."

"Okay..."

"What would those creatures do when everyone was gone?" The Doctor asked, waving his hand toward the window. "When there was only one man left standing in the universe?"

Just as he finished, something clanged against the door three times. Ivy felt her heart speed up, beating against her chest rapidly. "What is that?" Ivy asked, slowly backing away from the door.

"Potentially, the hull cooling?" He answered, sounding like he didn't at all think that.

"'Potentially'?" Ivy snapped, staring at the door as the metal creaked louder.

"Believably." He muttered as three more clangs followed. "Someone's knocking." He breathed, his voice filled with excitement. Ivy couldn't understand why the hell he wanted to see these things so badly. They obviously didn't want anyone to and they could do something dangerous to protect themselves from view. "Yes." He walked toward the door as more clangs came, closer and closer together.

"Doctor..." Ivy sighed, eying the door cautiously. He didn't stop though, to entranced by what could be on the other side.

"You don't actually believe all this, do you?" Clara asked, taking a couple of steps after the Doctor. She looked a bit braver than Ivy felt. "Hiding creatures. Things from under the bed."

More clangs followed and the Doctor continued walking toward it. "'What's that in the mirror or the corner of your eye? What's that footstep following, but never passing by?'" He whispered and Ivy felt anger fill her.

"Did we come to the end of the universe because of a nursery rhyme?" She snapped but the Doctor ignored her, standing close to the door and leaning in to listen. He jerked back when the clangs started again, so close now there was almost no pause between.

He suddenly pulled his sonic out, pressing something and causing the light to come on and the buzzing to start. Suddenly there was a click, the 'LOCKED' sign switching to 'UNLOCKED and the seal twirling. "That's you turning it, right?" Clara asked, her voice shaking. _Please say yes, please say yes..._ Ivy prayed, taking a couple of steps further back.

"No." He answered, making her stomach drop. "Get in the TARDIS."

"Why?" Clara asked, but she took a couple of steps back as well.

"I have to know." The Doctor whispered, staring at the door with wide eyes.

"Doctor." Clara said, squirming nervously as she watched him. "Doctor?"

"The TARDIS, now!" He ordered, coming to stand before her but never taking his eyes off the door.

"Okay, okay." Clara said quickly, looking up at him worriedly.

"Somebody is out there, now we know." Ivy muttered, watching the door fearfully. "We can leave."

But the Doctor didn't move, didn't budge. Clara had had enough now as well, because she yanked on the Doctor's arm sharply, trying to pull him away. "Doctor!"

"It's a pressure lock." He said, shaking his head and looking down at Clara. "Releasing it could've triggered the opening mechanism."

"Is there even an atmosphere out there?" Clara asked, becoming more and more alarmed.

"There's an air-shell around the ship." The Doctor said simply, before glaring back at Ivy. "What are you two still doing out here?"

"We're not just going to leave you in danger!" Ivy snapped, earning an angry look from him.

"She's right." Clara added, standing her ground as well.

"Then you will never travel with me again because that is the deal!" He growled at Clara, before looking back at Ivy again. "And you... you swore to me-"

"I never agreed to leave you out here alone!" She cried, her voice shaking with her anger. He stormed up to her, grabbing her arm roughly and shoving her toward the blue box. "Don't you fucking touch me-"

"TARDIS, now!" He yelled, towering over her with a dangerous look on his face. "The both of you! Do as you are told!"

Clara scowled at him as well, brushing past him to grab Ivy's arm and pull her toward the TARDIS as well. She nearly ripped her arm away from the young girl as well, but the sad, fearful look on her face stopped her. She opened the door of the time machine, pausing to look over at the Doctor before stepping inside. "You're an idiot." She whispered, her voice shaking. She stepped inside, pulling Ivy with her before slamming the door shut.

Clara brushed past Orson as she stormed to the console, grabbing one of the screens and pulling it around. "What's happening?" The man asked, looking alarmed by the state of both of them.

"He's opening the door." Clara muttered, stopping and staring at the screen. Ivy followed after her, catching site of the Doctor standing all alone outside. He stared at the door eagerly, watching as it slowly began to slide open. But before Ivy could see anything, the screen began to short and static, causing the image to blur. "Oh, no, no, no. Not now!" Clara cried, slapping at the screen angrily. "Always when it's important."

Suddenly there was a thud and the whole TARDIS shook. "What's happening?" Ivy asked and before Clara could answer an alarm began to sound. "What's that?"

"The alarm." Clara whispered, looking up at the ceiling nervously.

"The air shell's breached." Orson muttered, glancing quickly at the door. "Stay here."

He took off toward the door and Ivy didn't see where he was going, too distracted by the Doctor on the screen, struggling to hold onto the computer console and not get sucked outside. Just as his fingers began to slip, Orson was there, grabbing his hand and pulling him slowly toward the TARDIS. Ivy rushed toward the door, quickly opening it and giving the two room to head inside. Orson dragged the unconscious Doctor inside and Ivy saw a wound on the side of his head.

Orson slowly pulled him toward a chair by the console, seating him there and leaning him back. "Is he okay?" Ivy asked, staring down at the alien fearfully.

"He's out cold. He'll be fine, though." Orson assured the two of them, leaning away from him. Clara pushed forward, reaching up to touch the small spot of blood on his temple.

"Something hit him."

"Everything was flying out of that door." Orson sighed, but there was something in his voice, something that made Ivy think he didn't believe that.

"Could've been that." Clara muttered, clearly thinking the same thing.

"Yeah." Orson muttered, glancing at the two of them nervously.

"What was out there?" Ivy asked carefully, unsure if she actually wanted an answer to that question. "What are you afraid of?"

Orson sighed, looking back down at the Doctor again. "I've been here a long time. My own shadow, probably."

"Yeah." Clara mumbled, eying the man and sounding unsure.

There was another round of clangs and Ivy looked back at the TARDIS doors to see them rattling. God, the Doctor needed to wake up and get them out of here. "That's probably just the rest of the air escaping." Orson mumbled as it continued.

"You say 'probably' a lot." Clara pointed out, looking up at the ceiling before the whole place shook. Ivy quickly grabbed onto the console to stop herself from falling, her heart hammering out of her chest again.

"We are safe? Nothing can get in here, right?" Orson asked, looking at Clara.

"Probably." She said before jogging around the console back toward the goop that she had stuck her hands into earlier.

"What are you doing?" Ivy asked, watching her hands hover over the pink.

"Telepathic circuits. I left a trace in them earlier." She said, shoving her hands back into them.

"So?" Orson said, watching her curiously.

"So, apparently, I can do a thing." Clara shrugged, gripping the circuits tightly.

"Well, that's your plan?" Orson said, obviously nervous about this.

"It's not a plan. It's a thing." Clara said, looking up at the center of the TARDIS before closing her eyes tightly. "Okay. Come on, come on, you can do it."

The Doctor suddenly gasped, his whole body leaning forward. The TARDIS began to shake, an ominous red glow lighting up as it began to spin and take off. Ivy grabbed the Doctor, holding him and herself upright as the whole place shook. Clara kept a tight hold on the circuits, impressively keeping upright in her heels, before the TARDIS landed with a loud thud.

"Is that it?" Orson asked, still clinging to the railing. Clara pulled her hands free, walking around to the screen but it was fuzzy and shaking, giving no clear picture of what was waiting outside.

"I don't know. I think so." Clara mumbled, looking over at the two of them, unsure and slightly fearful. She jogged back around the TARDIS toward the doors and Ivy quickly followed after her.

"Where are we?" She asked, coming toward the door with her.

"Somewhere else, I hope." She said, whipping around and looking down at her. "No, no, no. You stay. Look after the Doctor."

"You can't go out there by yourself." Orson pointed out, walking toward them and looking worried.

Clara sighed, looking torn before she walked quickly toward Orson. "Thing is, my timeline, it keeps on... Orson, you don't want to meet yourself. It's really embarrassing." She chuckled, giving the man a small smile before heading back toward the door. "You really should stay here." She added, looking at Ivy. "He'll kill me if I let you get hurt."

"He can shut the hell up." Ivy grumbled, rolling her eyes and walking further up the stairs toward the door. "I'm not letting you go out by yourself."

Clara sighed, but clearly knew better than to argue with her. She nodded reluctantly, heading toward the door and cautiously opening it. She looked around fearfully, but Ivy could see that it was nothing more than a simple barn, filled with large stacks of hay, different tools and on the second level, a lone bed with a person lying on it. Ivy followed Clara out and as they shut the door, Ivy heard the soft sound of crying coming from the bed. Ivy glanced over at Clara, raising an eyebrow, but Clara was clearly just as lost as she was. They both walked toward the figure in the bed, the crying continuing the entire way.

Clara slowly pulled herself up the latter and Ivy waited nervously at the bottom. She paused at the top, looking at the small figure under the bed before saying, "Rupert?"

The person didn't say anything, instead continued to cry. Clara pulled herself up and onto the second floor, glancing down at Ivy and beckoning her up. She did, walking up the ladder and Clara helped her up onto the rickety wood.

"Orson?" Clara asked, slowly walking around the small bed, but the name did nothing either. She walked a little closer, about to lay a hand on the boy but there was a sudden creaking and the voice of a man.

"Why does he have to sleep out here?" The man grumbled and Clara dove under the bed, pulling Ivy with her quickly.

"He doesn't want the others to hear him crying." A women answered, sounding sad as they walked toward them.

"Why does he have to cry all the time?" The man snapped, clearly unhappy with the young man sobbing in the bed. Ivy slid further under the bed, hay poking at her and making her itch.

"You know why." The women sighed and Ivy heard them head up the latter.

"There's no crying in the army."

"Hush!" The women snapped as they finally got to the second level and she saw their feet from her spot on the ground.

"Don't pretend you're not awake!" The man snapped at the young boy in irritation. "We're not idiots."

"Come and sleep in the house." The women said, her tone far softer and more soothing than the man. "You don't have to be alone. If you can hear me, you're very welcome in the house with the other boys. I'll leave the door on the latch. Come in any time."

They both began to walk away and Ivy heard Clara sigh in relief. "He can't just run away crying all the time if he wants to join the army." The man snapped, still angry with the young boy. Ivy felt a flicker of anger, hating the way the man was talking about the scared child.

"He doesn't want to join the army, I keep telling you." The women scoffed.

"Well, he's not going to the Academy, is he, that boy?" The man muttered before they got to the door. "He'll never make a Time Lord."

Ivy felt her heart stop and she whipped around to look back at Clara. She stared back, her brown eyes wide with just as much shock as Ivy had. Suddenly the older Doctor's voice rang out, calling for the two of them and the boy above them stopped his crying for a moment. "Hello? Who's there?" He called, the bed creaking before two pale feet dropped to the floor. Clara's hand whipped out, her fingers wrapping around the boys ankle tightly before she could stop herself. Ivy heard the young Doctor's breathe hitch, coming out in small, shaky pants.

"Oh, God." Ivy groaned, closing her eyes briefly. Clara's whole body stiffened, obviously recognizing what she had done.

"This is just a dream." Clara whispered quickly, taking a deep breath. "Just lie back again. Just lie back on the bed. It'll all be OK, if you just lie down and go to sleep. Just do that for me. Just sleep."

She loosened her grip on the young Doctor's feet and they quickly disappeared back up onto the bed. Clara let out a quick sigh of relief, glancing back at Ivy and nodding for her to get up. Ivy rolled out from under the bed, standing nervously as she looked down at the young Doctor, his face buried in the blankets and nothing but a tuff of light hair sticking out. Ivy quickly made her way back toward the ladder, but before she could step down Clara grabbed the back of her shirt, stopping her. She looked back, seeing Clara nod toward the young Doctor and Ivy heard his sad, lonely crying begin again.

Ivy bit her lip, staring down at the young Doctor, feeling bad but unsure of what to do. Clara quickly took charge though, walking slowly toward the small boy, seating herself on the edge of the bed near his head and gently ran her fingers through his hair. "Listen." She whispered softly, stroking his hair. "This is just a dream. But very clever people can hear dreams. So please, just listen. I know you're afraid... but being afraid is all right. Because didn't anybody every tell you? Fear is a superpower. Fear can make you faster and cleverer, and stronger. And one day, you're gonna come back to this barn and on that day, you are going to be very afraid, indeed."

Ivy stared, feeling surreal. It was so hard to wrap her mind around the fact that Ivy and Clara were standing here, giving the Doctor almost the very same speech that he had given Rupert earlier. Not only that, but they were responsible for the dream he had as a child, the one that prompted this entire thing. It was all a giant circle, going around and around.

"But that's okay. Because if you're very wise and very strong... fear doesn't have to make you cruel or cowardly. Fear can make you kind. It doesn't matter if there's nothing under the bed or in the dark, so long as you know it's okay to be afraid of it. So listen. If you listen to nothing else, listen to this. You're always going to be afraid... even if you learn to hide it. Fear is like... a companion. A constant companion, always there. But that's okay. Because fear can bring us together. Fear can bring you home. I'm gonna leave you something, just so you'll always remember. Fear makes companions of us all."

She ran her fingers through the young Doctor's hair one last time, smiling softly before she pulled something from her coat pocket. She grabbed something small, running her fingers over it before gently setting it down at the end of the boy's bed, revealing the tiny soldier from Rupert's room. Ivy raised an eyebrow, wondering how she had gotten the thing back, but Clara just smiled and stood. She brushed past her and Ivy heard her slowly head back down the ladder toward the TARDIS, but Ivy couldn't bring herself to take her eyes off the Doctor just yet.

The way that couple talked, they didn't sound like concerned parents. They had talked about other 'boys' in the house, not his siblings. Was the Doctor another lonely foster child, like her? The way he hid away, the way he cried... Ivy couldn't help but thing the thought was right.

She walked forward slowly, staring down at the light hair illuminated by the moonlight streaming in the window. "Only good dreams now, Doctor." She whispered softly, leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to his hair. He sighed, seeming to find some comfort in this simple action and she smiled, gently squeezing his arm before heading back down the ladder after Clara. They walked back into the TARDIS and Ivy glanced back one last time, glad that no crying was heard before she stepped inside and closed the door.

"...did you see?" Orson was asking the older Doctor, taking a step toward him. "What was out there?"

"What if there was nothing?" Clara called, making them both turn. "What if there was never anything? Nothing under the bed, nothing at the door." She slowly walked toward the Doctor, coming to stand just before him and meeting his eyes. "What if... the big bad Time Lord doesn't want to admit he's just afraid of the dark?"

They stared at each other for a moment before the Doctor's head snapped up, his eyes wide. "Where are we? Have we moved?" He began to run around the console, trying to get to the screen to see. "Where have we landed?"

Clara quickly cut him off, an odd sadness and fear in her eyes. Ivy didn't understand why... they had only helped comfort the young Doctor. Maybe it was like when they thought Clara was going to meet herself earlier. The Doctor had said meeting yourself was potentially catastrophic. But there was something different about the fear in Clara's eyes, something that made Ivy think it was more than that. "Don't look where we are. Take off and promise me you will never look where we've been."

"Why?" He asked cautiously, looking over at Ivy and studying her as well. "Ivy, where are we?"

"Don't." Clara said quickly, giving Ivy a warning look. She bit her lip, unsure of why it was so bad for the Doctor to know, but Clara knew the Doctor better than her at this point, so she trusted her. "Just take off, don't ask questions."

"I don't take orders, Clara." The Doctor said, a warning in his voice.

"Do as you're told." Ivy whispered, earning a look from the Doctor. He stared, trying to figure out if he should argue more but something in her face made him sigh and turn away. Clara looked over at her, smiling gratefully and Ivy nodded back. The Doctor began to move around the console, doing his thing to start it up, but his shoulders were tense and his face was tight. Ivy could see him struggling with their commands, but he followed them.

"Time to go home then, Orson Pink."

They returned the young time traveler to his own time, right where he was supposed to land in the first place. He grinned excitedly, his eyes lighting up when he saw his own home. He shook the Doctor's hand and hugged Ivy and Clara before he took off, a bounce in his step.

After heading back inside the TARDIS, Clara launched herself at the Doctor, wrapping her arms around him tightly. He fought it off, struggling to get out of her tight hold. "No, no, not the hugging!" He cried, stumbling around the console as she squeezed him. Ivy couldn't help but smile as she leaned against the railing and watched the two. "No, no, no! I'm against the hugging! Please..."

The Doctor finally pried himself away from the young woman, grumbling and giving her a grumpy old man look, but Ivy could see a small glint of happiness in his old eyes. The TARDIS landed and he quickly herded Clara toward the door. "Out of here, go on. Get out of here."

Clara laughed and to her surprise, the woman quickly hugged Ivy before the Doctor practically shoved her out. "Keep him in line!" Clara called before heading out, winking at Ivy as she left. Ivy laughed, loving the irritated look on the Doctor's face.

"Will do."

~DW~

The Doctor handed her the warm cup and she glanced down at the contents to find tea. "You know I'm not British, right?" She said, earning a look from him as he sipped at his own and gazed out at the large burning star. It took some time to convince her, but he had finally gotten her to sit at the edge of the door to look outside. "Just saying... us American's don't go crazy for this stuff."

"You like this kind." He said simply, pushing it toward her. "It's your favorite."

She sighed, glancing down at the murky water before cautiously sipping it. "Hmmm." She muttered, surprised to find she actually liked the liquid. "It's alright." He grinned, shaking his head as he continued to sip at his own. She glanced over at him, chewing on her lip nervously. She wanted so badly to ask about that little boy in the bed and that couple who had walked in, but she didn't know how without giving away where they had been. She knew so little about him and he knew so much about her. She wasn't sure she could ever know everything about him because he _was _at least 909 years old (who knew how old he was now), but she at least needed to learn the basics if she was going to be stuck with him for the foreseeable future. "Doctor, where are you from?"

He glanced at her, a bit surprised by the question. "We haven't gotten to that yet?"

"No." She muttered, toying with the tea bag and dipping it in and out. "Haven't had much time."

He nodded slowly, taking another deep sip of his tea and staring out at the glowing star. The light illuminated his face, highlighting his large eyebrows and wrinkles. "I'm from Gallifrey." He said after a while, but there was something in his voice, something that made Ivy a bit nervous.

"Gallifrey." She repeated, taking another sip. "Home of the Time Lords. And... Ladies?"

"Yes." He said, giving her a small smile. "Though, that's a title given to those who chose to go to the Academy."

"Like some special school?" She asked, earning a small chuckle from him.

"Yes. I went when I was 90."

Ivy nearly choked on her tea, looking over at him in disbelief. "Isn't that a little young?" She said sarcastically, earning a grin from him. "Seriously? _90_?"

"I'm 2,000 something." He said, waving his hand nonchalantly. "90 is nothing."

"2,000 _something_?" She laughed, raising an eyebrow. "You don't even know you're age anymore?"

"You usually keep track for me." He shrugged. "Gets away from me... there is a lot of other more important things going on up here." He said, tapping his temple.

She chuckled, rolling her eyes. "I'm glad I can take on that huge burden for you." She muttered, taking another drink of tea and then yawning. The Doctor glanced at her, gently taking the mug from her and nodding toward the hallway.

"Bed." He ordered, grabbing his own mug and standing.

"I'm fine-"

"How long since you slept? A couple of days?" He asked, but didn't wait for an answer as he pulled her up and shut the TARDIS doors. "Bed."

"Fine, dad." She said, holding her hands up and walking up toward the hallway. She paused before she began to head down it, turning to smile at him. "Good night, Doctor."

He smiled back at her, a soft look in his kind, old eyes. "Good night, Ivy."

**Welp, there it is. Hope you enjoyed and please let me know what you think!**

**Thanks :)**


	7. The Time of Angels

**Hello again! :) Here is chapter 7 and the first time Ivy meets River! It was really hard to decide if I wanted her to meet River or Rose first. They are both just so freakin' awesome! In the end I decided on River because she plays a bit of a bigger role in Ivy's life than Rose will. **

**Anyway, please let me know what you think and leave a little review!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothingggg. **

Ivy eyed the alien woman cautiously, watching her clawed, blue hand scroll through the thin, clear computer screen. Even though she was a light blue with a mouth full of pointed teeth and odd, white eyes, she still acted like some bored teenager passing time until she got off her shift at her minimum wage job. She continued to flick through the screen, different creatures flying by. Some were familiar, like another dog and what looked like a parrot and a monkey, while others were completely foreign to Ivy until she stopped, a familiar dog popping up on the screen. "Button, Golden Retriever, canine lupus familiaris?" She asked in a bored, flat tone before looking up at the two of them.

"That's her." The Doctor said, nodding at the alien woman.

The woman picked up what looked like a phone, muttering something about Button and grabbing her before looking up at them. "This way please." She said, waving them both toward a door behind her. Ivy felt a flicker of excitement, quickly following her through the door to the outside. There was different areas of the vast landscape in the back, fenced off with several different animals inside. Ivy couldn't wait to see Button, but she couldn't say she didn't get a bit distracted by the odd, weird creatures she saw. She saw something that looked like a pile of goop with eyes, a stick looking creature, and a bear like creature with massive, long claws and a long tail. Finally though, after passing things that Ivy couldn't even wrap her mind around the woman stopped and Ivy caught sight of those familiar brown eyes and silky golden fur.

"Button!" She cried, watching as the dog's ears perked up and her tail began to wag furiously. She stood in a large, fenced in area by herself, a bright collar on her neck and Ivy saw her fur was cut and she was completely clean.

As soon as the woman opened the door, Ivy shot inside and leaned down to hug the dog. Button gave several barks of happiness, her whole body shaking back and forth with her excitement. "Hi, girl. Hi!" She grinned, rubbing Button and hugging her around the neck.

"Are you crying?" The Doctor scoffed, raising one of his bushy eyebrows and looking down at her.

"No!" Ivy lied, quickly rubbing away the couple of tears that had formed. What could she say? She had been told she would never go back to her regular life, was almost dissected and watched a boy die... so things weren't exactly going the way she planned. But here she was, sitting in a giant enclosure with her sweet, happy dog... something from her old life. Sue her for crying a little bit.

"Oh, don't cry. I can't do the tears." The Doctor sighed, folding his arms and leaning against the fence. Ivy's head snapped up and she glared at him.

"I'm happy to see my dog. Sorry!" She huffed, gently kissing on top of the golden retrievers head. "They're good to her here, right? I mean... do they even have the right food?"

"Course. They have other human dogs." The Doctor said, waving his hand and looking unalarmed. "Best planet on the galaxy for animals. Of all kinds. They feed her a good diet, exercise her, play with her. Only the best for Button."

Her dog's ears perked up at her name and she blinked up at the Doctor before walking toward him and sitting at his feet. The older alien grinned, leaning down and scratching behind Button's ears. "Good to see you again, old girl." He said and Button barked happily. "Yes, yes I know. It's been a while."

"What are you doing?" Ivy asked, dusting her pants off and giving him a look. He glanced up at her, still rubbing Button's ear.

"Talking to her."

"Talking to Button?" She deadpanned, raising an eyebrow and waiting for the joke. But he nodded, leaning down and rubbing the dog's belly. "Are you Time Lord's dog whisperers as well, now?" She mocked, but the Doctor rolled his eyes, giving her a 'don't be stupid' look.

"Of course not. I'm not one of those fakes running around on television. I actually speak dog." He said simply and Ivy couldn't stop the laugh that escaped.

"'Speak dog?'" She muttered, shaking her head. "You can't be serious."

"Of course I am." He shrugged, looking down at Button and grinning. "I speak everything."

Ivy was about to argue with that statement, but Button came back to her, circling her happily and she began to play with the golden retriever. They stayed for hours, until the facility closed to the public, playing with Button and even a couple of other odd creatures that looked like some sort of giant cat and a sort of skeletal creature that reminded Ivy eerily of Thestrals from the Harry Potter movies.

"Can't we bring her on the TARDIS?" Ivy begged as she kissed Button one last time, a deep sadness filling her chest. She almost wanted to cry again and if Button hadn't seemed so happy in this weird alien facility she probably would have actually started to cry again.

"Absolutely not." The Doctor said for the millionth time, gently grabbing her around the waist and pulling her away. "You bounce around and then I'm stuck picking up after her while you're gone."

"Oh, like she's so hard to take care of. She's a good dog!" Ivy grumbled, looking back at Button sadly. She sat at the edge of the fence, staring out after them with big, brown eyes and drooped ears. "I'll be back!" She called after her before they were back in the lobby, that blue woman flipping through a magazine at the front desk. Ivy sighed, chewing on her lip and glancing at the Doctor. "She's really okay here? You promise?"

He sighed, looking down at her seriously. "Yes. I made sure I took her to the best. I promise. Now, come on."

He herded her toward the TARDIS outside, stepping inside of the blue doors and into the familiar console room. "Thank you, Doctor." Ivy said, glancing over at him. He glanced at her, his green eyes softening a bit. "Seriously."

"You're welcome." He said, smiling at her a bit. "Now, where-"

Ivy gasped, stumbling back against the railing when her vision blurred and something pulled at her stomach. It felt exactly like the beginning of the jumping, but instead of the horrible pain, it just felt like a sort of tingling. The Doctor was before her immediately, looking down at her with deep concern. "I... I don't know what's happening. It doesn't hurt but it feels..."

"Tingling." He whispered and he looked away, something odd in his eyes that she couldn't place. "River..."

"Wha-"

But she was gone before she could finish asking about this river, being pulled and yanked back... or forward in time. She landed on an uneven, hard surface, upright this time, but still shaky. She stumbled back, nearly falling back on her ass before someone caught her and quickly held her up. "There you are!" A bright, female voice said just behind her. "Sorry, love, tried to make it gentle."

Ivy blinked, her eyes meeting bright green ones. The woman was older, maybe in her late thirties or early forties, with dark skin, a mass of wild curls around her head and a beautiful evening gown on that was out of place on the rocky shoreline of the beach they seemed to be at. She smiled at her happily, clearly another person who knew her from some time in her future. "What did you... how...?"

Ivy looked behind the women to see the 11th Doctor in his familiar bow tie and professor garb, storming over the rocks toward the two of them. Amy stood jump behind him, looking completely amused and Ivy felt her heart twist sadly as she looked at the redhead, wondering how on Earth she was supposed to face her. She didn't have much time to dwell on this though, because the Doctor jerked Ivy away from the woman, nearly causing her to fall, before he grabbed her face in his hands and studied her intently. "What are you-" Ivy grumbled, trying to pull away but he kept a firm grip on her, before he yanked his sonic out and began to scan her.

"Oh, she's fine!" The curly haired woman said, waving her hand at the Doctor. "I'm always gentle about it when I make her jump, aren't I?"

She looked at Ivy expectantly, a smirk on her full, red lips, but Ivy had no idea what she was talking about and wasn't sure how to answer. She couldn't wait till she had met everyone and could stop with these awkward 'I'm really sorry, but I don't know you' introductions. "Um... I don't-"

"How did you do that? How do you know how to make _my _Ivy jump?" The Doctor demanded, rounding on the woman with a glint of anger in his eyes.

"_Your _Ivy?" Ivy snapped, raising an eyebrow at him. He looked down at her, his cheeks going a bit red as he began to stutter over an answer to that one.

"Oh, sweetie," The woman scoffed, shaking her head at him and setting a hand on Ivy's shoulder. "She was _my _Ivy before she was ever yours."

The Doctor sputtered, giving her an angry glare before Ivy snapped. "Okay!" She cried, taking a step back from all of them. "Sorry, but I have no idea what is going on! And what are you talking about... making me jump?"

The woman's smile slowly slid from her face, that familiar look of hurt from not being recognized that Ivy was coming to recognize, crossing her features. The Doctor, Clara, Amy... they had all given it to her the last few times she had jumped, but this woman... the look of hurt on her face was far worse. A close second to even the Doctor's look when she had first met him. "You haven't met me yet, have you?" She asked, a terrible sadness in her voice.

"I'm... I'm sorry." She muttered, shifting uncomfortably. She wasn't sure what else to say to that, how to make the women feel better. "I've only... jumped three times before this."

The woman nodded slowly, before her lips turned up into another bright, sly smile and the pain was completely gone. It was jarring and Ivy couldn't help but admire how quickly she could pull out her mask. "Well, then. River Song." She said, extending her hand and smirking at her. "Apparently, _Professor _River Song." She winked cheekily at the Doctor, who huffed, glaring at her childishly.

"Ivy... which you know, I guess." She muttered, shaking River's hand.

River smiled at her one last time before turning on her heel and pressing what looked like a large cell phone to her ear. "You lot in orbit yet?" She called, walking past Amy and toward what looked like a large cliff with smoke billowing out of the top. She continued talking to whoever she was calling, before pausing and turning back toward the three of them. "Doctor, can you sonic me?" She called, lifting the phone up in the air. "I need to boost the signal so we can use it as a beacon!"

The Doctor frowned, but pulled the sonic out and pointed it toward her. Amy grinned, clearly amused by the fact that the Doctor was following orders from this odd, feisty River Song. "Ohh, Doctor," Amy chuckled from behind the Doctor and Ivy. "You soniced her!"

"Who is she, exactly?" Ivy asked, looking over at the Doctor curiously.

The Doctor glanced over at her, his eyes suddenly filled with worry. "She's..." He started, his brow furrowing as he tried to work out exactly how to explain the woman to her. "She's our future."

Ivy wasn't sure what the hell that meant and before she could ask, River was back with a worn, TARDIS blue journal in her hands. "We have a minute. Shall we?" She asked, looking over at the Doctor with a smile. She slowly opened it, the pages looking so old and written on Ivy thought they were going to fall out as she began to flip through them. "I know where you are." She said, glancing at Ivy before looking back at the Doctor. "But where are we up to? Have we done the Bone Meadows?"

"What's the book?" Amy asked, walking forward to glance at it curiously.

"Stay away from it." The Doctor ordered, still looking up at the smoking cliff unhappily. Ivy wasn't sure exactly what it was about this River woman and the future she shared with them that made the Doctor so unhappy, but it made her slightly weary of the woman.

"What is it, though?" Amy asked, eying the Doctor.

"Her diary." He grumbled.

"Our diary." River corrected, still absentmindedly flipping through the pages.

"Her past, our... future." He muttered, glancing over at Ivy and frowning again. "Time Travel. We keep meeting in the wrong order."

"Like me?" Ivy asked, looking at River with a bit more interest. "You bounce around too? Is that how you got me here or-"

River smiled at her sadly, shaking her head. "Just regular time travel." She said, shrugging. "Just happen to meet you two in the wrong order."

Ivy felt a flicker of disappointment, but slowly nodded. She suddenly heard the sound of violent wind and she looked over to see four long wind tunnels landing about twenty feet away from them. The air circled round and round quickly before dissipating and revealing four figures in desert military gear. They quickly scanned the area, alert and on edge with guns pointed up and clearly waiting for any threat in the area. One of them, the oldest one, stepped forward, heading toward Dr. Song and eying her wearily. "You promised me an army, Doctor Song."

"No, I promised you the equivalent of an army." She said simply, before her green eyes flicked over to the Doctor, Ivy and Amy. "This is the Doctor."

The man looked over, a sort of aw in his eyes as the Doctor gave him a salute. "Father Octavian, sir. Bishop, second class." He quickly reached out, shaking the Doctor's hand. "20 clerics at my command. The troops are already in the drop ship and landing shortly. Doctor Song was helping us with a covert investigation." He paused, glancing at the Doctor cautiously. "Has Doctor Song explained what we're dealing with?"

"Doctor," River said, glancing over at the bow tied alien. "What do you know of the Weeping Angels?"

~DW~

They quickly headed inside of the old temple, where the military clerics had set up a sort of camp. The Doctor was obviously very alarmed about whatever this Weeping Angel was, because he tried several times to make Amy and Ivy wait in the TARDIS, before River pulled him away to talk with Father Octavian. Amy seemed just as confused by these Angel's as Ivy, but she didn't seem as curious about what they were as Ivy was, instead more interested in the dynamic between the Doctor and River.

"The Angel, as far as we know, is still trapped in the ship." The Father was saying as they followed after him toward a tented area. "Our mission is to get inside and neutralize it. We can't get through up top. We'd be too close to the drivers. According to this," Father Octavian said, pulling out a small, computer like device. "Behind the cliff face, there's a network of catacombs leading right up to the temple. We can blow through the base of the cliffs, get into the entrance chamber, and then work our way up."

"Oh, good." The Doctor said, smiling in delight.

"Good, sir?"

"Catacombs." He said, looking over at the Father. "Probably dark ones. Dark catacombs, great."

Father Octavian seemed to realize that the Doctor was being sarcastic, because he sighed, closing his eyes briefly before continuing. "Technically, I think it's called a maze of the dead."

"You can stop anytime you like." The Doctor mumbled, glancing up at the wall of the temple.

"Father Octavian?" One of the younger men called, walking toward them. "Excuse me, sir."

Father Octavian glanced at the Doctor, seeing if he needed him any further, but the man just waved him off before he began to sonic some of the technology on the table they had stopped at. Amy walked around the two of them, watching the Doctor curiously. "You're letting people call you 'sir'. You never do that." The Doctor didn't say anything, instead pulling different parts from the case he had been scanning and studying the materials. Amy didn't seem to care though, because she hopped up on the wooden table and glanced at him. "So whatever a Weeping Angel is, it's really bad, yeah?"

"You practically had a heart attack when she told you they were here. Are they really that bad?" Ivy asked nervously, looking over at him as he continued to study the materials.

"Now, that's interesting." The Doctor mumbled absentmindedly, before rounding on Ivy. "Which part of 'wait in the TARDIS till I tell you it's safe' was so confusing for the two of you?"

"Oh, I swear-" Ivy started, growing angry at his stupid need to try to protect her when she had already, in only three jumps, experienced an insane amount of things. Amy quickly cut her off though, clearly more amused by his unneeded protectiveness than angered.

"Ooh, are you all Mr. Grumpy face today?" The redhead teased, frowning dramatically at the Doctor. He turned to glare at her, his face deadly serious.

"A Weeping Angel is the deadliest, most powerful, most malevolent life form evolution has ever produced and right now, one of them is trapped inside that wreckage and I'm supposed to climb in after it with a screwdriver and a torch, and assuming I survive the radiation long enough and assuming the whole ship doesn't just blow up in my face, I'm supposed to do something incredibly clever which I haven't actually thought of yet." He paused, sucking in a breath after that incredibly long and fearful statement before swinging around to look at Ivy. "That's my day. That's what I'm up to."

Ivy bit her lip, glancing at the temple nervously, worry and fear churning in her stomach. She had a million questions... like what exactly these Angel's were, how to stop them and what the Doctor exactly was planning. But before she could ask any of it, Amy piped up with something she seemed to find equally as important as any of those.

"Is River Song your ex-wife?" Amy asked, making the Doctor sigh and look up at the temple again. Ivy stared, shaking her head and wondering how on Earth the girl could be worried about the Doctor's love life after a speech like that. "'Cause she's someone from your future. And the only other person I've seen talk to you like that is Ivy. Kind of like, you know, 'Heel, boy!'" Amy teased, swinging her legs in a carefree manner and studying the two of them. "She's Mrs. Doctor from the future, isn't she? She's the woman before-"

"Yes." The Doctor said quickly, cutting her off hurriedly. Ivy, despite her worry and nervousness about the angel's couldn't help but be a bit curiously about the way the Doctor was blushing and quickly cutting Amy off. Woman before who? In the few times she had jumped, the Doctor didn't really seem... interested in anyone in that way. Maybe one of his previous companions? He did travel with a lot of pretty women...

"You're right." The Doctor grumbled, glancing around the camp with a frown. "I am definitely Mr. Grumpy Face today."

"Doctor!" Mrs. Maybe Future Doctor herself called from inside a long, metal room that was set up about twenty feet away from them. She waved at the three of them and Ivy saw she was wearing one of the military uniforms now. "Doctor!"

"Oops. Her indoors." Amy grinned, watching as the Doctor's head fell and he sighed, obviously very annoyed with being summoned by River.

"Father Octavian?" River called, waving the Father into the metal room. The man marched forward quickly and the Doctor finally pulled himself away from the table to follow after him.

"Why do they call him 'Father'?" Ivy asked, studying the military uniform. "Isn't he military?"

"He's their Bishop, they're his clerics. It's the 51st century, the church has moved on." The Doctor explained and Ivy took a moment to wrap her mind around the very fact that they were in the 51st century. She supposed she shouldn't be all that impressed, considering she had just gotten back from the end of the universe itself, but she couldn't help it. Plus... this was just cool... the end of the universe had just been depressing.

They entered the room, which looked like a small work area with a large screen TV in the back end. The screen seemed to be playing a couple seconds of video before the screen became static and then played over again. As Ivy drew closer she saw that the lone figure on the screen seemed to have long wings sprouting from its back and Ivy figured this was the Weeping Angel they were all going crazy over. It didn't even move in the few seconds that it was on the screen and if Ivy wasn't mistaken, the thing actually looked like it was made of stone.

"What do you think?" River asked, glancing back at the Doctor. "It's from the security cameras in the Byzantium vault. I ripped it when I was onboard. Sorry about the quality. Its four seconds. I've put it on loop."

"Yep." The Doctor said quickly, leaning very close to the screen to study the creature. "It's an Angel. Hands covering its face."

"You've encountered the Angel's before?" Father Octavian asked.

"Uh, Ivy and I have once, on Earth a long time ago."

"We have?" Ivy asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I have, you will." He shrugged, glancing back at the screen and folding his arms. "But those were scavengers, barely surviving."

"Isn't it just a statue?" Ivy asked, leaning close to the picture as well to see if she was missing what was so terrifying about this Weeping Angel.

"It's a statue when you see it." River corrected and Ivy glanced back at her, sure she was misunderstanding something.

"Where did it come from?" The Doctor asked.

"Oh, pulled from the ruins of Razbahan, end of last century. It's been in private hands ever since, dormant all that time." River explained, shrugging.

"There's a difference between dormant and patient." The Doctor muttered, frowning worriedly.

"What does that mean, it's a statue when you see it?" Amy asked, clearly just as confused by as she was.

"The Weeping Angels can only move if they're unseen." River said and Ivy glanced over at the screen again, shivering. Statues that moved when you weren't looking? That sounded like something straight out of a horror movie. "So legend has it."

"No, it's not legend." The Doctor said, turning and grabbing a strip of cloth on the ceiling before promptly ripping it off. Ivy sighed, shaking her head as he glanced at it sheepishly and continued. "It's a quantum lock. In the sight of any living creature, the Angels literally cease to exist, they're just stone." He balled up the material, throwing it across the room. "The ultimate defense mechanism."

"What, being a stone?" Amy muttered, sounding disbelieving.

"Being a stone..." The Doctor said, getting extremely close to the TV again and studying the Angel. "Until you turn your back." He turned, giving them a very depressing smile before looking over at Father Octavian. "So... here's what we need to do..."

He began to launch into a big, scientific plan that Ivy didn't at all understand. She followed the Doctor and the rest of them out of the long, metal room but instead of following and listening to a bunch of scientific garble, she stayed just outside the door, hanging back with Amy. "Do you ever understand anything he says?" Ivy asked, glancing up at the young redhead.

"Never. Sometimes I thinks he makes it up so he can keep talking." She grinned, causing Ivy to chuckle. Even though she hadn't known the man long, she could certainly see him doing something like that. Especially his 12th regeneration.

They lapsed into a silence, watching the Doctor order around River and the Father for a while longer. Ivy glanced up at the young woman, biting her lip nervously. Should she even ask about Rory? What if it was after what had happened and bringing up the girls dead boyfriend would cause some kind of problem for the Doctor? Or what if it was before and Ivy could warn Amy-

"Sweetie, I need you!" River called, tearing Ivy away from her thoughts.

"Anybody need us?" Amy cried, spreading her hands and glaring at the two of them, clearly unhappy with being ignored during the plans. "Nobody?"

"I'd say that's a no." Ivy muttered, rolling her eyes. Amy huffed before taking a step back into the room.

"You coming?" She asked, sticking her head back outside to look over at Ivy.

She looked up at the pretty redhead, chewing on her lip nervously. She could go in and talk with Amy, she could ask about Rory, find out where they were in that time line. If she just gave her a little bit of a warning...

_You can't talk about the future... one wrong word... very dangerous._

Ivy sighed, closing her eyes briefly. "Um... no." She mumbled, looking away. "I'm going to... make sure he doesn't kill River or something."

Amy nodded, eying her curiously before slipping back inside. Ivy tore herself away before she changed her mind and walked in with her, heading toward the table where River was showing the Doctor some book. "...only one. It's written by a madman, it's barely readable, but I've marked a few passages."

"Written by a madmen. He should be able to make it out just fine." Ivy muttered and the Doctor, who had been flipping through the pages incredibly quickly, slammed the book shut and lightly hit her on the head with it and gave her a playful glare.

"Not bad. Bit slow in the middle. Didn't you hate his girlfriend?" He cried, swinging around to look over at River, who stared at him like he was crazy. Ivy couldn't blame her. If 11 was anything, it was odd. "No, no hang on. Wait, wait, wait, wait." The Doctor said, before shoving the book to his face and taking a deep, long sniff.

"Oh, my God, really?" Ivy said, staring at him in disbelief. Amy was yelling something to River, but Ivy couldn't take her eyes off the craziness of the Doctor. "You're completely insane."

"Something's wrong." He grumbled, opening the book and glancing at it with his brow furrowed. "This book is wrong. What's wrong with this book? It's wrong."

"I think you're what's wrong here." She said, watching him flip the book upside down, wave it around and actually put it to his ear.

"You're always so mean when you're young." He grumbled, tapping her on the nose and pouting.

"Someone has to keep you in check." River interrupted, before pulling that blue journal out of her jacket and opening it again. "It's so strange when you go all baby-face. How early is this for you?"

"Very early." The Doctor muttered, still flipping through the book.

"So you don't know who I am yet?" River asked, a sly smile on her face and a mysterious look in her green eyes.

"How do you know who I am? I don't always look the same." The Doctor asked, still not bothering to look over at the woman. Ivy wasn't sure how he could be so uninterested in this River and her journal though. Ivy was slowly coming to accept that all these people she met knew things about her that she never told them... well, at least not yet, but there was something different about River and the way she talked to Ivy and even the Doctor. It was like she knew something... important. Something bigger than Ivy's foster homes or the Doctor's faces. And it made Ivy very nervous.

"I've got pictures of all your faces." She shrugged, glancing down at the open book. "You never show up in the right order, though. I need the spotters guide."

"Pictures?" The Doctor muttered, pausing in his flipping to stare down at the book with a spark of understanding. "Why aren't there pictures? This whole book is a warning about the Weeping Angels. So why no pictures? Why not show us what to look out for?"

"There was a bit about images." River said, putting her journal away to look in the book with the Doctor. "What was that about?"

The Doctor frantically began flipping through the book again before stopping and pointing at it. "Yes! Hang on! 'That which holds the image of an Angel becomes itself an angel.'"

Ivy felt cold, icy dread fill her stomach as the words slowly began to sink in. "What does that mean? 'An image of an angel becomes itself an angel?'" River asked, looking at the Doctor in confusion.

"Amy..." Ivy whispered, looking back at the room in horror.

"Doctor! Ivy!" Amy suddenly cried, her hands beating on the metal from inside. "It's inside the room."

"Amy!" The Doctor called, running toward the door and frantically trying to open it. Ivy was just behind him, her heart beating out of her chest. First Rory, now Amy. She couldn't let both of them die, she couldn't watch that. "Are you all right? What's happening?"

"Doctor!" Amy called, her voice shaking with fear. "Doctor, it's coming out of the television. The Angel is here."

"Get her out of there." Ivy urged him, watching him yank his sonic out and begin to scan the door.

"Don't take your eyes off it! Keeping looking." He ordered her, running his sonic over the key pad quickly. "It can't move if you're looking." He jerked back after a moment, running along the side. "It's deadlocked."

"There is no deadlock." River said, punching the buttons on the key pad frantically. Ivy stood back uselessly, unable to do anything. She was shaking, terrified of what exactly that creature would do to Amy.

"Doctor, get her out!" She cried, hating how useless she was.

"I'm trying!" He snapped, tearing open some part of the wall and looking inside.

"What are you doing?" River asked, continuing to try to open the door.

"Uh, cutting the power. It's using the screen," He muttered, yanking at some wires." I'm turning the screen off." But he yanked and pulled and nothing happened. "No good. It's deadlocked the whole system."

"There is no deadlock." River insisted, walking toward the Doctor.

"There is now." He shot back, clearly growing more frustrated.

"Help me!" Amy screamed and the Doctor quickly ran to the door again, pressing himself against it.

"Can you turn it off?" The Doctor asked. "The screen, can you turn it off?"

"I tried."

"Try again, but don't take your eyes off the Angel." He ordered, before taking off back toward where River was. "If something moves, it'll move faster. Don't even blink."

River had taken out what looked like a tiny gun, but instead of a bullet coming out when she pressed the trigger, a blue flame spurted out instead, blowing on the metal. "I'm not blinking. Have you ever tried not blinking?" Amy complained from the other side as River continued to try to burn through the metal. "It just keeps switching back on!"

"Yeah, that's the Angel." The Doctor sighed, messing with the wires again. "No, anything that takes the image of an Angel is an Angel." He shoved some of the wires back in, obviously giving up on that way of getting in. He glanced down at River, a bit surprised when he saw her trying to burn through the door. "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to cut through. It's not even warm."

"There is no way in." The Doctor said, his voice laced with anger and frustration. "It's not physically possible."

"We have to help Amy! We can't just let it get her!" Ivy insisted and the Doctor stopped to look at her, grabbing her face gently and looking into her eyes.

"Nothing will happen to her. I promise." He said gently, his thumb brushing against her cheek before he pressed a quick, soft kiss to her forehead. The act of intimacy caught her off guard and she wasn't sure how she felt about it, but she didn't have much time to focus on it.

"Doctor, what is it going to do to me?" Amy asked, her voice trembling. The Doctor pulled away from Ivy and looking toward the door again.

"Just keep looking at it. Don't stop looking!" He took off toward the table again, grabbing up the book and running to the door to plop down in front of the door and flipping through. "Amy," He said suddenly, looking up in alarm. "Not the eyes. Look at the Angel, but don't look at the eyes."

"Why?"

"What is it?" Ivy asked, walking toward him.

"'The eyes are not the windows of the soul, they are the doors. Beware what may enter there.'" The Doctor sighed, looking up at Ivy and River worriedly.

"What did you say?" Amy called.

"Don't look at the eyes."

"No," Amy protested shakily. "About images, what did you say about images?"

"Whatever holds the images of an Angel is an Angel." He said again, pulling his sonic out again and messing with the door and keypad. After a couple moments, suddenly the door clanked and swung open. Ivy let out a sigh of relief, her whole body shaking and she quickly following after the Doctor and River as they headed inside just as the screen flickered off.

"I froze it." Amy said, sounding dazed. "There was a sort of blip on the tape and I froze it on the blip. It wasn't the image of an Angel anymore." The Doctor rushed forward, scanning the unplugged TV cord with his sonic. "That was good, yeah? It was, wasn't it? That was pretty good. That was amazing."

The Doctor glanced back at her, tipping his sonic at her before going back to scanning. "River, hug Amy."

"Why?" Amy asked, eyeing him.

"'Cause Ivy's all young and mean and I'm busy." He mumbled, still studying the cord.

"I'm not _mean._" Ivy snapped, giving the Doctor a dirty look.

"I'm fine." Amy insisted, shrugging.

"You're brilliant." River said quickly, giving the Doctor a glare before she pulled Amy close.

"That was amazing, Amy." Ivy said, smiling at the redhead. She grinned back, her panic from before almost gone and instead replaced with a bit of happiness.

"Thanks. Yeah. I kind of creamed it, didn't I?" Amy said, sounding incredibly impressed with herself. Ivy chuckled a bit, growing happier that Amy was alright.

"So it was here? That was the Angel?" River asked, looking over at the Doctor as he shoved his sonic screwdriver back into his jacket.

"That was a projection of the Angel." He mumbled, looking worried. "It's no longer dormant."

There was a sudden blast from outside, echoing through the temple and making Ivy jump. The Doctor quickly ran around the three of them, heading back outside to see what the commotion was. He stuck his head out the door of the room and Ivy heard Father Octavian's voice ring out, "Doctor, we're through!"

The Doctor pulled back inside, looking over at them with a grave look on his face. "Okay. Now it starts." He shot out the door, heading down the steps and out toward the soldiers. Ivy began to head out, but paused when she didn't hear the other two following.

"Coming?" She asked, seeing Amy still standing with her back turned and River looking over at her worriedly.

"Yeah, coming." Amy said, glancing back. Ivy nodded, looking at her one last time to make sure she was alright before heading out of the door and following after the Doctor, River just behind her.

"Are _you_ alright?" River asked, hurrying a bit to catch up with her. She glanced at the curly haired woman, seeing that she actually looked a bit worried for her.

"Um, yeah, fine." She muttered, shrugging. "Amy's the one who had to deal with the Angel, so..."

River smiled that sly smile of hers, a knowing look in her eyes that made Ivy uncomfortable. River was so different from any of the other people she had met with the Doctor and Ivy couldn't shake the nervous feeling she had about the woman. "Of course." River chuckled, patting her arm before walking past her. Ivy slowed a bit, studying her as she began to talk with Father Octavian about their plans.

They slowly made their way down the newly blown hole down to the catacombs down a very shaky ladder that made Ivy nervous. The Doctor put his hands on her hips when she got down far enough, helping her jump down from the thing and stopping her from stumbling too much. She muttered a 'thank you' and quickly pulled away, still uncomfortable from his odd show of affection earlier. He studied her for a moment, something in his eyes before he handed her a flashlight and looked away.

She looked around wearily, taking in the huge expanse of black. She was regretting coming down here already, feeling closed in just like she had when they were underground with the homo reptilia. "Where are we? What is this exactly?" Ivy asked nervously, looking over at the Doctor.

"It's an Aplan Mortarium... sometimes called a Maze of the Dead." River answered, her own flashlight sending a beam through the dark.

"What's that?"

"Well, if you happen to be a creature of living stone," He started, before pausing to run forward and kick what looked like a ball straight up in the air. It sparked to life, illuminating the entire cave area to reveal rows and rows of stone figures going up hundreds of feet above. Ivy felt fear fill her stomach, already figuring out where the Doctor was heading. "Perfect hiding place."

"Well, I guess this makes it a bit trickier." Father Octavian said nervously, looking around at the different worn, stone figures all around them.

"Ha." The Doctor laughed, shaking his head. "A bit, yeah."

"A stone Angel on the loose amongst stone statues." Father Octavian sighed, sounding worn and tired. "A lot harder than I prayed for."

"A needle in a haystack." River mumbled nervously

"A needle that looks like hay." Ivy grumbled, trying to keep herself calm. Not only was she stuck down here, but there was also some stone monster lurking in the shadows, hidden among more stone. God, she was living out some kind of horror movie.

"A hay-like needle of death." The Doctor nodded, glancing about the illuminated area. "A hay-like needle of death in a haystack of, uh, statues." He paused, glancing back at River. "Uh... yours was fine."

"Right. Check every single statue in this chamber." Father Octavian ordered his men, who nodded dutifully and began to disperse. "You know what you're looking for. Complete visual inspection. One question... how do we fight it?" He asked, glancing tensely over at the Doctor.

"We find it and hope." The Doctor said and Ivy felt her heart speed up a bit. He quickly grabbed her arm, keeping her close as they began to head toward a small tunnel off to the side. Statues were scattered along the rocky tunnel and the Doctor glanced at each of them nervously, scanning them before deciding they weren't a threat and then walked away. "You stay by me at all times." He said suddenly, his hand coming to rest on the small of her back. She glanced at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I get it-"

"Ivy," He said, his voice deadly serious. "You don't go anywhere without me, understand? Just... please."

She glanced at him and it wasn't for the extreme look of worry and fear in his eyes, she would have gotten a bit offended by him thinking she couldn't handle herself. She had been through a shit ton in the last few weeks alone. But instead of arguing, she merely nodded. "Yeah, fine." She muttered and she saw him relax just a bit. "You know you don't have to treat me like a child. I have been through a bit these last few jumps."

"I know you have." He muttered, giving her a look before taking his sonic out and scanning one of the stone figures. "But I also know how you get underground like this and how... impulsive you are when you're young. I'm not taking any chances."

Ivy glared at him, folding her arms angrily. "You make me sound like some... stupid child or something."

He sighed, looking up from the small computer he had taken out of his jacket to look at her. "You aren't a _stupid child_, just a girl who cares far too little for her own safety." He whispered, meeting her eyes and smiling sadly. "So I care more than enough for both of us."

She frowned, looking away from that knowing look. "Yes," River interrupted suddenly, flashing her light at them. "We are."

"Sorry, what?" The Doctor asked, looking back at the computer screen and pressing a couple of buttons.

"Talking about you two." River grinned and Ivy looked back at her and Amy, who was also smiling in amusement.

"Wasn't listening, too busy." The Doctor grumbled, clearly not caring about whatever River had been telling Amy. But Ivy couldn't say she wasn't interested. Maybe River had been telling Amy something about the future... about how she knew them.

"Ah." River muttered, sounding disbelieving. "The other way up."

The Doctor's brow furrowed and he pulled the small computer away from him, studying it before he flipped it over. He glanced at River sheepishly and the woman just smiled at him smugly.

"Yeah." He muttered, obviously displeased by the fact that River had corrected him.

"Good job." Ivy said, rolling her eyes and patting him on the back. He gave her a huff, grumbling something under his breath before going back to whatever was on the computer screen. After he scanned a couple more statues, they began to head further into the catacombs, carefully checking each of the statues as they went, but only found lone stone figures, worn away by time.

Gunfire sounded unexpectedly, making them all jump and then shoot off toward where it had come from. They found a young soldier, his gun gripped tightly in his hand as he looked at them all nervously. There was only one statue in the room and the Doctor quickly began to look it over, studying it with his flashlight intently.

"Sorry. Sorry, I thought..." He was saying to Father Octavian, looking a bit ashamed. "I thought it looked at me."

"You know what the Angel looks like. Is that the Angel?" Father Octavian asked, his voice stern.

"No, sir." The young man sighed, looking more and more ashamed.

"No, sir, it is not!" Father Octavian scolded. "According to the Doctor, we are facing an enemy of unknowable power and infinite evil. So it would be good, it would be very good, if we could all remain calm in the presence of décor."

"What's your name?" The Doctor asked, leaning against the wall after deciding that the stone figure wasn't a threat and looking at the soldier.

"Bob, sir." He mumbled, eying the Doctor timidly.

"Ah, that's a great name. I love Bob!"

"It's a sacred name. We all have sacred names." Father Octavian explained. "They're given to us in the service of the church."

The Doctor marched forward, coming to stand next to the two men. "Sacred Bob. More like scared Bob now, eh?"

"Yes, sir." He mumbled, looking down at his feet.

"Ah, good. Scared keeps you fast."

"Fear is a superpower." Ivy whispered, smiling a bit when Bob looked back at her, blushing. The Doctor grinned, pointing at her and nodding.

"Anyone in his room who isn't scares is a moron." He gave them both looks, patting them on the shoulders before turning away. "Carry on."

Sacred Bob still looked a bit embarrassed, but Father Octavian patted him on the shoulder again before looking out at the catacombs. "We'll be moving into the maze in two minutes. You stay with Christian and Angelo. Guard the approach."

Sacred Bob nodded, loosening up a bit before putting on a brave face. They began to head through more of the catacombs, searching through the different stone figures and trying to weed out this Weeping Angel. Ivy walked along with the rest of the group, but she could see the Doctor glancing back every once in a while to search for her, before looking back. She couldn't help but roll her eyes. How was he supposed to find this Angel if he kept trying to keep track of her?

"Isn't there a chance this lot's just gonna collapse?" Amy asked, looking up at the rocky ceiling nervously. "There's a whole ship up there."

"She has a point." Ivy muttered, but the Doctor look unfazed.

"Incredible builders, the Aplans." The Doctor assured them, continuing to look around. "Had dinner with their chief architect once. Two heads are better than one."

"Let me guess... you helped build all this?" Ivy muttered, rolling her eyes. The Doctor whipped his flashlight around and aimed it straight into her face, making her wince and look away.

"No. I mean he had two heads." He said simply before swinging his flashlight back out into the catacombs. "That book. The very end, what did it say?"

"Ah, hang on." River began to fumble around her pockets, finally finding the book and flipping to the back.

"Read it to me."

"'What if we had ideas that could think for themselves? What if one day our dreams no longer needed us? When these things occur and are held to be true, the time will be upon us. The time of Angels.'"

Ivy frowned, hating how eerie and creepy that sounded. "Well, that was cheery." She mumbled. The Doctor flashed her a quick, jittery smile before they continued on their way. They marched up different flights of stairs and before long, Ivy felt winded and quickly realized out of shape she had gotten. She wondered absentmindedly if there was a gym she could use in the TARDIS in her free time.

"Only two levels to go." The Doctor was telling Amy and Ivy breathed a sigh of relief. "Lovely species the Aplans. We should visit them sometime."

"I thought you said they had died out." Ivy muttered, trying to catch her breath as they got off the stairs and stopped in another small area of stone figures.

"So is Virginia Woolf. But we're on her bowling team." The Doctor shrugged, throwing a grin at her. "Very relaxed, sort of cheerful. Well, that's having two heads, of course. You're never short of a snog with an extra head."

Ivy wrinkled her nose, scanning the different stone figures in the room carefully. She paused for a moment, frowning and looking at the closest one to her. There was something... wrong about it, but Ivy couldn't figure it out. It was female from what was left of the figure, most of the clothes worn away along with its face. It looked normal, but something about it was just bugging her.

"... then they started having laws against self-marrying." The Doctor was saying, still talking about these creepy Aplans. "I mean, what was that about? But that's the church for you." He said, swinging his light around to look at Father Octavian. "Uh, no offence, Bishop."

Ivy rolled her eyes, smiling when he replied, "Quite a lot taken, if that's all right Doctor."

They continued up, still scanning each and every statue. That nagging feeling was still tugging at Ivy and she chewed her lip nervously, trying to figure out what was wrong.

"Lowest point of the wreckage." Father Octavian said, looking up at the ceiling. "The ship is only about 50 feet up from here. Up there."

"Church had a point, if you think about it. The divorces must have been messy." Amy pointed out, grinning at Ivy. But Ivy had stopped, freezing in front of the statue that she was closest to. "What's wrong?" Amy asked, glancing at her.

"This place... it was for just the Aplans' dead?" Ivy asked, looking back at the Doctor, hoping she was wrong.

"Yes. They were the only ones who buried their dead here." He said simply, looking at her quizzically.

"Doctor... they had two heads."

He froze and, with a sinking feeling in her stomach, Ivy knew she was right. "Oh." He whispered, his eyes widening before he swung his light around to look fearfully at the statues.

"Oh." River repeated and Ivy knew she got it.

"Exactly." The Doctor mumbled, looking at her.

"How could we not notice that?" River hissed, clearly growing angry with herself.

"Low-level perception filter or maybe we're just thick." The Doctor grumbled, clearly just as angry with himself as River was. Ivy backed away from the statue she was closest to, chewing on her lip nervously.

"So... are they all...?" Ivy asked as the Doctor came to her side, his fingers wrapping around her wrist tightly, but he kept his eyes on the statues. She squirmed, uncomfortable with the contact, but she didn't have much time to dwell on it with what they had just discovered.

"What's wrong, sir?" Father Octavian asked nervously.

"Nobody move, nobody move." The Doctor ordered, swinging around to look at the rest of the group. They froze, becoming more alert and on edge. "Everyone stay exactly where they are. Bishop, I am truly sorry. I've made a mistake and we are all in terrible danger."

"What danger?"

"The Aplans." The Doctor sighed, his lips pursing as he looked at the closest statue.

"What about the Aplans?" Father Octavian asked tightly.

"They've got two heads." River said, but Father Octavian wasn't getting it.

"Yes, I get that. So?"

"The statues don't." Ivy said and she could see the realization slowly dawning on the Bishop. He looked out at the statues with a renewed fear, his hands tightening on his gun.

"Everyone, over there." The Doctor ordered, pointing toward a corner. "Just move, don't ask questions, and don't speak." The whole group herded toward the corner he had pointed them in, crowding around each other before looking toward the Doctor and waiting for whatever it was he was planning. He kept his free hand around her wrist, the other swinging his flashlight around cautiously. "Okay. I want you all to switch off your torches."

"Sir?" Father Octavian said, clearly nervous about this. Ivy couldn't blame him. If they were right, if all these statues were actually Angels, then that would be a horrible idea.

"Just do it." The Doctor ordered and the others began to flick them off slowly, including Ivy, until only the Doctor's was left. "Okay. I'm gonna turn off this one too, just for a moment." He said, staring at the statues with alert, cautious eyes.

"Are you sure about this?" Ivy asked, her voice shaking despite herself. He looked back at her, flashing an easy smile and squeezing her wrist.

"No." He said simply, before looking back out at the statues. Ivy felt her heart pick up, wanting to protest, but before she could even get a word out the Doctor had already flicked the light off and back on. It was dark for only a millisecond, not even long enough for Ivy to twitch, but the statues had all turned toward them, staring at the group with their blank faces. Ivy jerked back as the Doctor took off, dropping her wrist to head further in and study the different statues.

The group followed after him, those in back turning to keep an eye on the Angels behind them. Ivy looked ahead toward the statue that the Doctor was staring at now, one kneeling on the ground with an arm outstretched toward them.

"They're Angels. All of them!" The Doctor warned, his beam shaking on the kneeling Angel.

"They can't be." River protested.

"Clerics, keep watching them." The Doctor ordered before heading further in. Amy, River and Ivy followed after him, stopping jerkily here and there to watch a stray Angel they found. "Every statue in this maze, every single one is a Weeping Angel. And they're coming after us."

"There was only one Angel on the ship." River said, scanning the group of statues with alert eyes. "Just the one, I swear."

"Could they have been here already?" Amy asked, looking over toward the Doctor. "The Aplans, what happened? How did they die out?"

"Nobody knows." The Doctor said tensely.

"We know." Ivy mumbled, gripping her flashlight tightly.

"They don't look like Angels." Father Octavian said and Ivy knew he was holding onto the last bit of hope that they were wrong.

"And they're not fast. You said they were fast." Amy pointed out. "They should have had us by now."

"Look at them." The Doctor mumbled, cautiously stepping closer to one of them. "They're dying. Losing their form. They must have been down here for centuries without food."

"Losing their image?" Ivy asked, not liking how close he was getting.

"And their image is their power." He mumbled, before popping up. "Power... power!" He clapped his hands together, the sound echoing through the caves before he turned on his heel and he began to pace.

"Doctor?"

"Don't you see? All that radiation spilling out, the drive burn. It wasn't an accident. It was a rescue mission for the Angels. We're in the middle of an army and it's waking up."

Ivy hated the sound of that. She chewed her lip nervously, eyeing the different forms facing them. She should have waited in the TARDIS. Why didn't she listen to the Doctor? Well, she knew the answer to that one. He had to just be so insufferable and cocky and it made her want to go against everything he said.

"We need to get out of here fast." River said, her voice tight and urgent.

"Bob, Angelo, Christian, come in, please." Father Octavian called into his wakie talkie. He paused, waiting for any reply but was met by nothing but eerie silence. "Any of you, come in!"

"It's Bob, sir." A meek voice finally answered. "Sorry, sir."

"Bob, are Angelo and Christian with you?" Father Octavian asked urgently. "All the statues are active. I repeat, all the statues are active!"

"I know, sir." Bob said immediately. "Angelo and Christian are dead, sir. The statues killed them, sir."

Ivy felt a chill run up her spine. There was something wrong with Bob's voice, something that made her uneasy. This young man had shot off several bullets at a statue because he thought it had moved, but was calm and cool when talking about his dead comrades? The Doctor tore the walkie away from Father Octavian, quickly bringing it to his face. "Bob, Sacred Bob, it's me. The Doctor."

"I'm talking to-" Father Octavian started, but the Doctor waved him off.

"Where are you now?"

"I'm talking to my-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Shut up." The Doctor ordered, holding up a finger to Father Octavian.

"I'm on my way up to you, sir." Bob said coolly. "I'm homing in on your signal."

"Ah, well done, Bob." The Doctor said, grinning. "Scared keeps you fast. Told you, didn't I? You're friends, Bob, what did the Angel do to them?"

"Snapped their necks, sir."

"See, that's odd. That's not how the Angels kill you." The Doctor muttered, pacing around again. "They displace you in time. Unless they needed the bodies for something."

"Bob, did you check their data packs for vital signs?" Father Octavian asked, stealing the walkie back from the Doctor. "We may be able to initiate a rescue plan."

The Doctor groaned, ripping the walkie back away from the Bishop. "Oh, don't be an idiot!" The Doctor snapped, glaring at Father Octavian. "The Angels don't leave you alive! Bob," He said into the walkie. "Keep running, but tell me, how did you escape?"

"I didn't escape, sir. The Angel killed me, too."

The Doctor grew tense, glancing at Father Octavian in shock. Ivy bit her lip, looking over at River and hoping she had misunderstood. But from the grave, sad look on the woman's face, she knew she hadn't.

"What do you mean, the Angel killed you, too?" The Doctor asked, sounding nervous.

"Snapped my neck, sir." Bob said easily. "Wasn't as painless as I expected. But it was pretty quick, so that was something."

"If you're dead, how can I be talking to you?"

"You're not talking to me, sir. The Angel has no voice." Bob replied and Ivy felt her heart sink, realizing what was going on. "It stripped my cerebral cortex from my body and re-animated a version of my consciousness to communicate with you. Sorry about the confusion."

"So when you say you're on your way up to us..."

"It's the Angel that's coming, sir, yes."

The Doctor turned, pacing again and looking agitated. "No way out." He groaned, rubbing his face tiredly. That wasn't a good sign.

"Then we get out through the wreckage. Go!" Father Octavian ordered, waving them toward the ship. "Go, go, go!"

"Doctor!" Amy said, walking toward the alien nervously.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm coming. Just go. Go, go, go!"

Amy nodded, following her orders and quickly running ahead with some of the other clerics. Ivy hesitated as well, but the Doctor urged her forward. "You too, go. Doctor Song, you keep her safe."

River nodded dutifully, reaching out to grab Ivy's arm and pulling her forward. They ran through the catacombs quickly, trailing just behind the clerics as they jogged ahead. Father Octavian caught up with them rather quickly, but the Doctor wasn't with him. She was about to ask where the idiot went, but they came into a large area and Ivy heard the groan of metal. She looked up to find the wreckage of the ship looming just above them.

"Well." Father Octavian muttered, looking up at it. "There it is- the Byzantium."

"It's got to be like, 30 feet up. How do we get up there?" Ivy sighed, staring at the wreckage uneasily. Not to mention, was it even safe?

"Check all these exits. I want them all secure."

A couple of clerics took off, heading into the different tunnels to search and secure them. Ivy waited a couple of seconds, glancing around at them to, hopefully, see the Doctor return. "Where is he?" She muttered, looking over at River. But the woman was distracted by the ship and the fact that their flashlights began to flicker in and out. She looked around for Amy to ask the same as one of the clerics returned, but didn't find the redhead either. "Where is Amy and the Doctor?"

Just as the words left her mouth, the Doctor strutted in, Amy just behind him. "God, what the hell were you doing?" Ivy snapped. The Doctor turned and to her surprise, he grinned at her cheekily.

"Worried about me?" He teased, even though it was far from the time or place. Ivy felt her cheeks heat up and she glared at him, about to protest, but he walked past her and looked up at the ship above them. "Yeah, it's the Angels. They're coming. And they're draining the power for themselves."

"Which means we won't be able to see them." Father Octavian sighed, shaking his head.

"Which means we can't stay here." The Doctor muttered, his eyes calculating as he scanned the entire area.

"Two more incoming!"

"Any suggestions?" River asked, her voice growing tense.

"The statues are advancing on all sides." Father Octavian said, looking back up at the ship. "And we don't have the climbing equipment to reach the Byzantium."

"There's no way up, no way back, no way out." River muttered, before giving the Doctor a look. "No pressure, but this is usually when you have a really good idea."

The Doctor, who had been silent during this whole exchange, looked around, his eyes calculating everything around them. "There's always a way out." He said softly. "There's always a way out."

The lights flicked off just then, engulfing them in pitch black. Ivy gasped, her heart jumping in her chest, before the lights flicked back on. The few statues around them had gotten just a bit closer and Ivy was glad that they weren't on top of their game still.

"There's always a way out." The Doctor repeated, scanning the area around them again.

"Doctor? Can I speak to the Doctor, please?"

The Doctor took out the walkie from his jacket, pressing the button and bringing it to his face. "Hello, Angels. What's your problem?"

"And the Angels will be with you shortly. Sorry, sir." Angel Bob said, sounding anything but.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"There's something the Angel's are very keen you should know before the end."

"Which is?" The Doctor asked cautiously.

"I died in fear." Angel Bob said and the Doctor froze, his pale fingers tightening on the walkie.

"I'm sorry?"

"You and Ivy told me my fear would keep me alive, but I died afraid, in pain and alone." Angel Bob said, his monotone voice hitting Ivy right in the stomach. She felt an overwhelming amount of guilt and anger at that. The Doctor glanced back at her, meeting her eyes for a brief moment before looking away. "You made me trust you and when it mattered, you let me down."

"What are they doing?" Amy questioned.

"They're trying to make him angry." River whispered, a hard edge to her voice.

"I'm sorry, sir. The Angels were very keen for you to know that."

"Well, then, the Angels have made their second mistake, because I'm not gonna let that pass." The Doctor growled, gripping the walkie tightly and staring out at the weaker angels surrounding them icily. "I'm sorry you're dead, Bob, but I swear to whatever is left of you, they will be sorrier."

"But you're trapped, sir, and about to die."

"Yeah," The Doctor muttered, looking around frantically again and pacing around. "I'm trapped and you know what? Speaking of traps, this trap has got a great, big mistake in it. A great, big, whopping mistake!"

"What mistake, sir?"

But the Doctor didn't answer. Instead, he turned toward Amy, looking at her seriously. "Trust me?"

"Yeah." Amy answered with no hesitation and a confident smile.

"Trust me?" He asked, his eyes flicking to River.

"Always."

"You lot, trust me?" The Doctor asked, looking over at the clerics.

"We have faith, sir." Father Octavian said, nodding. The Doctor paused, finally turning to look at Ivy. He looked almost nervous as he walked forward, stepping close to her.

"You trust me?" He asked, his voice low and barely above a whisper.

Ivy stared at him, this crazy, rude, obnoxious... good man. Did she trust him? She had been through so much with him in such a short amount of time and he hadn't let her down yet. She had seen him save people, fight robots and cry as a lonely child. But she didn't know him. "I..." She muttered, biting her lip nervously. "Y-yeah."

He heard the hesitation, how unsure she was and she could see that it hurt him deeply. He pulled away from her, clearly wounded by this but shook it off and turned toward Father Octavian. "Then give me your gun." Father Octavian didn't even question this order, just pulled the cold metal out and handed it over to the Doctor. He brought it to his face, looking it over and scaring the shit out of Ivy. Him with a gun? That was slightly terrifying. "I'm about to do something incredibly stupid and dangerous. When I do, jump!" The Doctor said, jumping up and down to demonstrate.

"Jump where?" Father Octavian asked, eyeing him as moved up and down.

"Oh, just jump, high as you can. Come on, leap of faith, Bishop." He smiled, before looking back up at the ship. "On my signal."

"What signal?" Ivy asked nervously.

"You won't miss it." He said, swinging the gun up and pointing it toward the crashed ship.

"Sorry, can I ask?" Angel Bob piped up. "You mentioned a mistake we've made?"

"Oh, big, big mistake. Really huge." The Doctor snapped, still aiming up. "Didn't anyone ever mention? There's one thing you never put in a trap? If you're smart, if you value your continued existence, if you have any plans about seeing tomorrow, there is one thing you never, ever put in a trap."

"And what would that be, sir?"

"Me."

With that, the Doctor let off a shot, the bang echoing through the area. Ivy jumped and the whole world flipped.

**So, there it is! Hope you liked it and just leave a review! **

**Thanks :)**


	8. Flesh and Stone

**So here is Flesh and Stone. Thank you to everyone who alerted and favorited :) But please do review! I really appreciate it. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothinggggg**

Ivy slammed against something hard, her head spinning. For a moment, with the pain that went through her, she wondered if she had somehow jumped again, but when she opened her eyes, she saw Amy, River, the Doctor and clerics still surrounding her.

"Up! Look up!" The Doctor cried, hopping up himself and brushing his jacket off.

"You okay?" River asked, looking between her and Amy. Ivy got to her feet shakily, quickly reaching down and helping Amy up as well.

"What happened?" Ivy asked, glancing over at the curly haired woman.

"We jumped."

"Jumped where?" Amy groaned, rubbing her head and wincing. Ivy glanced around, finding the rocks of the maze, but now there was metal beneath her feet instead of ground.

"Up, up, look up!" The Doctor ordered, looking around frantically.

"Where are we?" Amy muttered, looking up like the Doctor had said. Ivy did as well, but what she was seeing didn't quite compute. If she wasn't mistaken, she saw little figures of stone on the ceiling... but upside down. That couldn't be right though...

"Exactly where we were." River muttered.

"No, we're not." Amy insisted, looking completely confused.

"Move your feet." The Doctor said and Amy stepped away from where she had been standing. The Doctor leaned down, whipping his sonic out and scanning a dark metal circle on the ground.

"Doctor, what am I looking at? Explain." Amy grumbled, still staring up at the ceiling and trying to figure out what was going on.

"Come on, Amy, think." The Doctor said, standing and watching her process everything. "The ship crashed with the power still on, yeah? So what else is still on?"

Ivy looked up again, taking in the scenery she had been looking at from moments before, but flipped. She looked out onto the metal floor, seeing the burn marks and small flames still flickering. They were on the ship... standing on the part that they had just been looking up at. Ivy's head spun.

"The artificial gravity. One good jump and up we fell." The Doctor grinned, bouncing up again before looking back over at Ivy and Amy. "Shot out the grav-globe to give us an updraught and here we are!" He began to scan the metal circle again, studying it.

"Doctor... the statues, they look more like Angels now." Father Octavian pointed out, aiming his gun up at the reaching figures up above... or was it down below? Ivy wasn't sure. Ivy could see he was right now that she studied them more, seeing wings on their backs now and some of their facial features were more distinct.

"They're feeding on the radiation from the wreckage, draining all the power from the ship, restoring themselves." He glanced up, looking worried. "Within an hour, they'll be an army."

Suddenly the circle the Doctor had been scanning flew open, revealing what looked like a hallway within. It led straight down though and Ivy wasn't exactly sure how they were supposed to get in without just falling and breaking their legs. The Doctor grinned, but the excitement was short lived. The small light closest to them sparked wildly, before sputtering out completely and the next one began to do the same. "They're taking out the lights. Look at them. Look at the Angels." The Doctor ordered, aiming his sonic at the creatures on the ceiling above. Amy and the others looked up, watching them intently while Ivy watched the Doctor throw his legs into the circle in the ground, getting ready to jump. "Into the ship now, quickly, all of you!"

"But how?" Amy asked before the Doctor jumped inside. "Doctor!"

Ivy quickly leaned over, but instead of finding the Doctor all broken and twisted at the very end of the hallway, he stood on what would have been the floor if they were at the right angle, crouched down and grinning at them. "It's just a corridor." He said, acting as though their panic was silly. He stood and the angle of it made Ivy's head spin again. "The gravity orientates to the floor. Now, in here, all of you. Don't take your eyes off the Angels. Move, move, move."

Another light sparked and flickered out as Father Octavian began to order his men inside. It was so odd to watch them jump down, but end up standing up straight and running down the floor. Ivy took a deep breath when her turn came, sliding into the hole in the ground and with an odd flip of her stomach, she ended up right and completely fine. She walked uneasily down the hallway, but she didn't end up flying through the air or shooting up to the ceiling she so figured she was fine.

"The Angel's can jump up too, I presume?" Father Octavian asked the Doctor, glancing uneasily at the open hole before the Doctor slammed it shut and cut them off from the Angels.

"They're here... now." The Doctor said, glancing uneasily at the flickering lights. "In the dark we're finished. Run! This whole place is a death trap!"

He grabbed Ivy's hand, yanking her with him as he took off on his long legs down the hallway. The door slammed shut in front of them and the Doctor stopped before it, studying it. "No, it's a time bomb. Well, it's a death trap and a time bomb." He muttered, turning back toward all of them, a flicker of panic in his eyes. "And now it's a dead end. Nobody panic."

"You're making it real easy to relax." Ivy hissed, glaring at him as a bit of fear flickered in her stomach. All the sudden, there was something hitting the wall just behind them and when Ivy looked back, she saw small holes had been blown into the wall.

"Oh, just me then. What's through here?"

"Secondary flight deck." River said, not taking her eyes off the door just in case the Angel's came through.

"Okay, we've basically run up the inside of a chimney, yeah?" Amy asked, clearly getting a bit panicked. "So what happens if the gravity fails?"

"I've thought about that." The Doctor said, before looking back at the door and trying to scan it.

"And?"

"And we'll all plunge to our deaths." He said, even though Ivy really wished he hadn't. "See, I've thought about it. Ah, the security protocols are still alive." He grumbled, looking back at the locked door. "There's no way to override them. It's impossible."

"How impossible?" River asked, messing with something on the wall.

"Two minutes." He said and just as he turned back toward the door, there was a sad whirring noise that gave Ivy a horrible feeling. The lights slowly began to die and Ivy watched in horror as the whole in the wall they had come through slid open.

"The hull is breached and the power's failing." Father Octavian said, his voice grave. The lights slightly died completely, plunging them almost completely into darkness.

"Sir, incoming!" One of the clerics cried and when Ivy looked toward the open whole, she saw a clawed, stone arm in the hole.

"Doctor, lights!" Ivy cried, trying not to take her eyes off the creepy arm. She heard the hum of the sonic and the lights flicked on and off a couple of times. Ivy swallowed nervously, tearing her eyes away for just a second to look over at what they were doing. To her horror, when she looked back, she saw a full blown Angel in the doorway, halfway in. The lights flicked off a couple more times and when they came back on, four angels were in the hallway, their faces blank and their arms outstretched.

"Clerics, keep watching them." Father Octavian ordered, his voice forcefully calm.

"And don't look at their eyes. Anywhere else, not the eyes." The Doctor added, before looking over at River. "I've isolated the lighting grid. They can't drain the power now."

The Father gave him a quick 'good work', before the gangly alien turned on his heel toward the locked door and began to try to open it again. "Yes, good, good, good. Good in many ways, good you like it so far..." The Doctor grumbled, waving his sonic at Father Octavian before turning toward a small, oval shape sticking out of the wall and pulling it open.

"So far?" Ivy sighed, sparing a glance at the crazy alien.

"Well, there's only one way to open this door." He muttered, fumbling with some of the wires. "I guess I'll need to route all the power in this section through the door control."

"Good, fine, do it." Father Octavian said quickly, watching as the Doctor brushed past him toward the Angel's. He wrung his hands, staring at the figures nervously.

"Including the lights. All of them." He sighed. "I'll have to turn out all the lights."

None of them said anything, to scared and unsure of what to say. Ivy bit her lip, closing her eyes before asking, "How long for?"

"Fraction of a second, maybe longer." He sighed again, rubbing his face tiredly. "Maybe quite a bit longer."

"Maybe?" Father Octavian muttered, looking over at the Doctor cautiously.

"Well, I'm guessing. We're being attack by statues in a crashed ship... there isn't a manual for this!" The Doctor cried, clapping before he ran back toward the door. Amy watched him, growing more and more worried.

"Doctor, we lost the torches. We'll be in total darkness." Amy snapped, leaning close to him as he began to scan the door again. He glared back at her, shaking his head.

"No other way!" He insisted, before looking back at Father Octavian. "Bishop..."

"Dr. Song, I've lost good clerics today." Father Octavian said, his voice deep and dangerous as he took a step closer to the woman. She turned from her work on the wall, meeting his eyes with a nervous look in her eyes. "You trust this man?"

"I absolutely trust him." She said, with absolutely no hesitation. The Doctor leaned against the wall, watching the exchange with an odd smile on his lips.

"He's not some kind of madman, then?" Father Octavian said, staring straight at Dr. Song.

She hesitated for just a fraction of a second this time and if Ivy wasn't so scared she would have actually laughed. That was a question Father Octavian probably didn't want to real answer to and she could see it in River's eyes. "I absolutely trust him." She repeated, but this was enough for Father Octavian and the Doctor. The Doctor swung back around, going back to the door but Ivy watched as Father Octavian walked toward River, leaning in close.

"I'm taking your word, because you're the only one who can manage these two. But that only works as long as they don't know who you are. You cost me anymore men and I might just tell them. Understood?"

Ivy's jaw clenched, wondering what the hell that meant. She knew there was something off about River, that she was hiding something that was more than just some adventures in the future. From the way the Father had worded it and the fearful look in River's eyes, she knew that was a threat. Whatever he knew... River didn't want it getting out.

"Understood." She gritted out, quickly turning away from him and shutting the thing she had been messing with.

"Okay, Doctor, we've got your back." Father Octavian assured him, going back to being cool and calm.

"Bless you, Bishop." The Doctor said, grabbing something from Amy.

"Combat distance, ten feet." Father Octavian ordered and his men began to back away from the Angels. "As soon as the lights go down, continuous fire. Full spread over the hostiles. Do not stop firing while the lights are out. Shotgun protocol- we don't have bullets to waste."

"Amy, when the lights go down, the wheel should release. Spin it clockwise, four turns." The Doctor said, leaving Amy to her work before brushing past her.

"Ten." Amy nodded.

"No, four, four turns." The Doctor corrected, giving her a warning look.

"Yeah, four, I heard you." She insisted, giving him a confused look. Ivy raised an eyebrow, studying to see if she was alright before the Doctor shouted out to get ready.

"On my count, then." Father Octavian said, taking a deep breath and staring out at the Angel's with hard, dark eyes. "God be with us all. Three..."

Ivy took a deep breath, pressing herself against the wall behind her to try to get as far away from the Angel's as possible. The Doctor reached out with his free hand, gently intertwining his fingers with hers and squeezing. She knew she should pull away, but his hand actually felt... comforting and warm in hers.

"Two..."

The Doctor smiled at her, obviously trying to comfort her before he winked and turned back to the wiring.

"One. Fire!"

Ivy heard the gunfire begin, bullets briefly lighting up the angels here and there. Each brief flash of light revealed the Angel's growing closer and closer, arms outstretched and reaching for them. The Doctor gripped her hand tightly, standing in front of her and his body covering hers. "Turn!" He ordered and Ivy heard the screeching of the metal door turning.

"Its opening, it's working!"

And it did. The door slid open and immediately the Doctor began to shove Ivy through the doorway. "Fall back!" Father Octavian cried and one by one his men began to slide into the next hallway after Ivy until they all got in. The Doctor came in last, barely making it past the door as it slid shut again. He quickly ran to the end of this hallway, beginning to scan it. It opened much easier than the other one and the whole group squeezed in quickly.

The room looked like a control center, with a single chair surrounded by computers and buttons. The computers were in scrambles though, wires and things strung all over. The Doctor quickly ran around the computers toward the center but was interrupted in his work when the door handle began to turn quickly behind Father Octavian.

"Doctor!"

Father Octavian was the one who walked toward the door though, pulling out a small device and pressing it against the metal above the handle. "What are you doing?" Ivy asked cautiously, not liking how close he was. But when he took his hand from the device, the handle stopped turning and he glanced back at her, smiling.

"Magnetized the door." He said, standing and dusting off his jacket. "Nothing could turn that wheel now."

"Yeah?" The Doctor grinned. But the smile quickly faded when, with a jerk, the door handle began to move again. It seemed to be a struggle now, but it was still turning over and over.

"Dear God." Father Octavian breathed, staring wide eyed at the door.

"Ah, now you're getting it." The Doctor said, messing with a bunch of the wires and buttons. "You've bought us time, though, that's good. I am good with time."

"Doctor!" Amy cried, pointing toward another, side door, the handle twirling easily.

"Seal that door. Seal it now!" Father Octavian ordered and one of his men quickly magnetized it and pointed his gun.

"We're surrounded." River said as Father Octavian ordered the rest of his men to seal the other doors.

"Doctor, how long have we got?"

"Five minutes, max." He answered, toying with some wires.

"Nine." Amy said immediately, making the Doctor's head whip up to look at her.

"Five." He corrected, eyeing her before looking back at the wires.

"Five, yeah, right."

"Why did you say nine?" Ivy asked. But Amy just gave her a confused look, not understanding.

"I didn't." She insisted and Ivy could tell from the look on her face that she wasn't messing with her. The Doctor glanced at her again, raising one of his eyebrows cautiously.

"We need another way out of here." River muttered, looking around at the doors with their handles turning down like a bomb ticking down.

"There isn't one." Father Octavian said, his voice grave.

"Yeah, there is." The Doctor said simply, jumping up and heading toward the back of the room. "Course there is. This is a galaxy class ship, goes for years between planet-falls. So, what do they need?"

He looked at the rest of them expectantly, but Ivy and Amy stared back blankly. River snapped up though, recognition dawning on her face. "Of course!"

"'Of course' what?" Ivy asked, looking between them curiously. "What do they need?"

"Can we get in there?" Father Octavian asked and the Doctor turned, looking at the back wall.

"Well, it's a sealed unit, but they must have installed it somehow." He launched himself at the wall, feeling around on it and looking for something. "This whole wall should slide up. There's clamps! Release the clamps." He cried, pulling some boxes away from the wall and sonicing the clamps that he had found.

"What's through there? What do they need?" Amy asked, eyeing the door curiously.

"They need to breathe." River explained. The Doctor soniced open the different clamps before he stepped back and looked at the wall expectantly. There was a hum before the door slowly slid open to reveal the last thing Ivy expected.

A whole forest.

"But that's..." Amy breathed, walking toward it with a dazed look on her face. "That's a..."

"It's an oxygen factory." River supplied, gazing out at the trees with a grin.

"It's a forest." Ivy mumbled, shaking her head.

"Yeah, it's a forest. It's an oxygen factory."

"And if we're lucky, an escape route." The Doctor smiled, gazing out at the forest.

"Eight!" Amy laughed, making Ivy look over at her. That was the third time she had shouted out some random number and Ivy was growing weary of what exactly it meant.

"What did you say?" River asked, looking at Amy guardedly.

Amy glanced back at her, a look of confusion on her face just like last time. "Nothing."

"Is there another exit?" The Doctor asked before waving his hands toward the forest. "Scan the architecture. We don't have time to get lost in there."

"On it." Father Octavian said, marching forward and into the lush forest. "Stay where you are until I've checked the rad levels."

"But trees? On a spaceship?" Amy asked, walking toward the Doctor.

"Oh, more than trees." The Doctor insisted, walking out into the forest after Father Octavian. "Way better than trees. You're going to love this." He walked further in, glancing up before he reached for the tree and yanked at it to reveal some kind of glowing light inside. "Tree borgs! Trees... plus technology. Branches become cables, become sensors on the hull- a forest sucking in starlight, breathing out air. It even rains. There's a whole mini-climate. This vault is an ecopod running right through the heart of the ship." He walked back into the control room, a grin on his face. "A forest in a bottle on a spaceship in a maze. Have I impressed you yet, Amy Pond?"

Amy grinned, looking delighted as she shook her head. "Seven."

"Seven?" The Doctor frowned, quickly walking forward and studying Amy.

"Sorry, what?"

"You said seven."

"No, I didn't." Amy insisted, shaking her head.

"Yes, you did." Ivy mumbled, frowning when Amy looked over at her fearfully.

"Doctor, there's an exit, far end of the ship, into the primary flight deck." Father Octavian called. The Doctor looked up, still glancing cautiously at Amy.

"Good. That's where we need to go." He muttered, quickly looking over at Amy and studying her intently.

"Plotting a safe path now."

"Quick as you like!" The Doctor called, staring unblinkingly at Amy before Angel Bob's voice broke the silence.

"Doctor? Excuse me. Hello, Doctor? Angel Bob here, sir."

The Doctor fumbled around to find the walkie, grabbing it before he seated himself the chair in front of the computers. He turned, facing the forest and crossing his legs, making him look like some kind of captain. "Ah, there you are, Angel Bob. How's life? Sorry, bad subject."

"The Angels are wondering what you hope to achieve." Angel Bob said, his voice still in that familiar monotone.

"Achieve? We're not achieving anything. We're just hanging, it's nice in here." The Doctor grinned, swiveling the chair back and forth casually. "Consoles, comfy chairs, a forest. How's things with you?"

"The Angels are feasting, sir. Soon we'll be able to absorb enough power to consume this vessel, this world and all the stars and worlds beyond."

Ivy glanced at the walkie nervously, hating how unnervingly calm Angel Bob was. The Doctor kept a look of ease on his face, leaning casually in the chair. "Well, we've got comfy chairs, did I mention?"

"We have no need of comfy chairs."

"I made him say 'comfy chairs'!" The Doctor grinned, giving Ivy a look of amusement. She was slowly growing to recognize the fact that this Doctor diffused tension with his odd humor, but it still didn't stop her from getting annoyed. Amy laughed at his antics though.

"Six." She chuckled, smiling brightly. Ivy looked over at her, the worry growing in the pit of her stomach.

"Okay, Bob, enough chat. Here's what I want to know." The Doctor said, launching himself up from the chair and walking tensely toward the forest. "What have you done to Amy?"

"There's something in her eye." Bob said simply and the smile slid from Amy's lips.

"What's in her eye?" The Doctor asked.

"We are."

"What's he talking about?" Amy asked, stepping toward him and meeting his eyes worriedly. The Doctor leaned close to her, studying her again. "Doctor, I'm five."

Ivy bit her lip nervously, trying not to look too frightened when Amy met her eyes. The poor girl looked scared enough already. "I-I mean... five." She repeated, before realizing what she was saying. "Fine! I'm fine!"

"You're counting." River muttered, eyeing her cautiously.

"Counting?"

"You're counting down. From ten." The Doctor whispered, his blue eyes flickering back and forth as he as he stared down Amy. "You have been for a couple of minutes."

"Why?"

"I don't know." The Doctor admitted.

"Well, counting down to what?" Amy asked, becoming more and more alarmed.

"I don't know."

"We shall take her. We shall take all of you." Angel Bob piped up. "We shall have dominion over all time and space."

The Doctor walked away from Amy, seating himself back into the chair. Ivy kept her eyes on Amy though, a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something bad was happening to the girl and yet again there was nothing Ivy could do to stop it. At this rate, Amy would die just like Rory.

"Get a life, Bob." The Doctor sighed, shaking his head. "Oops, sorry again! There's power on this ship but nowhere near that much."

"With respect, sir, there's more power on this ship than you yet understand."

There was a sudden screeching that echoed through the whole ship. It was horrible, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. "Dear God, what is it?" River asked, looking around in alarm. The screeching kept coming, surrounding them from all sides. The army was awake.

"They're back."

"It's hard to put it in your terms, Dr. Song," Angel Bob said, interrupting the screeching. "But as best as I understand it, the Angels are laughing."

"Laughing?" The Doctor growled, his fingers tightening around the walkie dangerously.

"Because you haven't noticed yet, sir." Bob mocked. "The Doctor in the TARDIS hasn't noticed."

"Doctor..." Father Octavian piped up, his voice tense.

"No, wait!" The Doctor cried, holding up a hand. "There's something I've..."

Ivy whipped around as a light flooded in and she felt icy cold fear thread its way through her veins. The crack... it was here now. "Oh, God." She whispered, backing away from the thing. "Doctor, don't!" She cried as he brushed past her, shoving one of the boxes near it. Amy followed after, staring up at the thing with wide eyes.

"That's... that's like the crack from my bedroom wall when I was a little girl." Amy gasped, the light illuminating her pale face.

"Get away from it." Ivy insisted, wanting to pull them away, but not wanting to get to close. The room began to shake violently and Father Octavian quickly took charge.

"Okay, enough, we're moving out!"

"Agree. Doctor?" River cried, looking at the alien as he struggled with the box.

"Yeah. Fine!" He said, but instead of turning away, he got up on top of the box to get a closer look of the giant crack.

"Doctor! Get the hell away from it!" Ivy snapped, fighting the urge to rip him down herself.

"I'll be right with you." He muttered, extending his hand and getting his sonic closer to the crack.

"We're not leaving without you!"

"Oh, yes, you are. Bishop?" The Doctor called and Father Octavian turned from his place in the forest, urging them forward.

"Miss Pond, Miss Ivy, Dr. Song, now!" He ordered, but Ivy didn't move. She didn't want that thing to take the Doctor like it did Rory.

"Get down, you stupid bastard and get away from that thing!" Ivy screamed, hating how hysterical she sounded. He ignored her though, seeming to be mesmerized by the crack like he had been before. "Doctor-"

Someone suddenly grabbed her from behind, lifting her up with surprising strength and yanking her away from him. "No!" She cried, struggling against the person, kicking out and trying to get free. "Doctor! Get away from it! It'll take you!"

"You have to trust him." Father Octavian whispered, his breath hot on her ear. He had finally dragged her into the forest, away from the Doctor still scanning the stupid crack. As soon as he set her down on the soft ground of the forest, she tried to get back in but River grabbed her this time, yanking her further into the forest.

"Get off me!" She cried, struggling with the woman but she was surprisingly strong.

"You said you trusted him, now show it!" River snapped, still pulling her further into the forest with the help of Father Octavian. "He'll be fine. Trust me."

"You don't know what that thing does. It'll take him and he'll be gone! Just like-"

"I know what it does and who it takes." River said, grabbing her shoulder and making her face her. Ivy stopped in her struggling, turning to look at River and see if she was actually telling the truth. "I know. But it won't happen to the Doctor."

"Miss Pond?"

River paused, tearing her eyes away from Ivy's to look over at Amy, who looked even paler than usual and extremely unsteady on her feet. "Amy?" River said, cautiously stepping closer to the redhead. "Are you alright?"

"Four." She breathed, shaking in River's hands before falling onto the log next to them. She grabbed her head before slowly curling up in a ball on the ground. Ivy quickly dipped down next to her, brushing her red hair aside with shaky fingers. She had been so worried about the Doctor that she had forgotten about Amy.

"Med-scanner, now!" River insisted, taking a seat behind Amy. One of the clerics ran forward, quickly handing on to River. She began to mess with it and turning it on to scan Amy.

"It's okay, Amy." Ivy whispered, her voice shaking as she continued to run her hand gently through the girl's hair. Amy didn't react, didn't even blink as Ivy did so, scaring her even more.

"Dr. Song, we can't stay here. We've got to keep moving." Father Octavian urged.

"We wait for the Doctor." River snapped, wrapping the med-pack around Amy's arm. Father Octavian stepped forward though, glaring dangerously at River.

"Our mission is to make this wreckage safe and neutralized the Angels. Until that is achieved-"

Ivy was about to tell the Bishop to fuck off, but River quickly cut the man off instead, sounding equally as angry. "Father Octavian, when the Doctor's in the room your one and only mission is to keep him alive long enough to get everyone else home. And trust me, it's not easy." She finished strapping off the med-pack before looking back at the man. "Now, if he's dead back there, I'll never forgive myself and if he's alive, I'll never forgive him." Ivy hoped and prayed the first one wasn't true, for a lot of different reasons and she couldn't help but agree whole heartedly with the second one. "And Doctor, you're right behind me, aren't you?"

"Oh, yeah."

Ivy whipped around, taking in the tall, gangly Time Lord as a mixture of relief, anger and happiness filled her chest. He was grinning, his hair a bit wild and his jacket missing, but looking otherwise completely fine.

"I hate you!" River sighed, shaking her head.

"You don't." He chuckled, hopping down from the mass of roots he was standing on. Ivy stood, coming face to face with him and he smiled brightly at her. "Just fine, thanks for ask-"

Before Ivy even knew what she was doing, she whipped her hand back and slapped him straight across the face. His head snapped back, a bright red hand mark now marring his pale cheek. "Ivy-" He started, but she shook her head.

"_I'm _the one who cares too little for their safety?" She hissed, her fingers clenching into a tight fist at her side. "You cocky bastard, I swear-"

"Miss Ivy, we need to get moving. You'll need to save the lovers spat for later." Father Octavian said. Ivy whipped around, ready to slap the Bishop as well but the Doctor brushed past her, as though nothing had happened, and interrupted her.

"Bishop, the Angels are in the forest." He said, walking hurriedly toward Amy and dipping down to study her.

"We need visual contact on every line of approach." Father Octavian ordered, watching his clerics spread out.

Ivy headed toward Amy as well, still shaking with anger and adrenaline. "How did you get past them?" River asked, staring at him with wide eyes.

"I found a crack in the wall and told them it was the end of the universe." He said simply, shrugging nonchalantly. Ivy wanted so badly to hit him again.

"What was it?" Amy asked, her voice shaky and uneven. Ivy quickly dipped down, rubbing her shoulder gently.

"The end of the universe." He said, before whipping out and grabbing the med-pack. "Let's have a look then."

"What's wrong with her?" Ivy asked, looking over at him.

"Nothing. You're fine." River insisted, squeezing her arm soothingly.

"Everything. You're dying." The Doctor said, staring down at the med-pack screen with wide, alarmed eyes.

"Doctor!" River scolded, but he whipped his head up and glared at her.

"Yes, you're right, if we lie to her she'll get all better!" He snapped, before focusing back on Amy. "Right, Amy. Amy, Amy. What's the matter with Amelia? Something's in her eye- what does that mean? Does it mean anything?"

"Doctor..." Amy breathed, staring straight ahead still.

"Busy!"

"Scared!"

"Course you're scared." The Doctor said simply, glancing back down at her. "You're dying- shut up!"

Ivy was about to yell at him for being so crass, but River grabbed her arm, gently squeezing it. "Let him think." She insisted, before going back to comforting Amy. Ivy glanced up, watching the Doctor as he began to pace back and forth with a quizzical look on his face.

"What's wrong? She stared at the Angel, she looked into the eyes of an Angel for too long..."

"Sir, Angel incoming!"

"And here."

Ivy felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up and she glanced around, trying to see these Angels. She caught a glimpse of some wings and a face hidden in the foliage. The Doctor continued his pacing, smacking his head. "Come on, come on, come on, wakey, wakey!" He snapped, growing frustrated. "She watched an Angel climb out of the screen, she stared at the Angel and... and..."

"The image of an Angel is an Angel." Amy croaked, her fist clenching on the log.

"A living mental image in a living human mind. We stare at them to stop them getting closer, we don't even blink and that is exactly what they want, 'cause as long as our eyes are open they can climb inside." He plopped down on the log across from them, understanding on his face. "There's an Angel in her mind!"

He clapped his hand over his mouth, closing his eyes tightly. "Oh, God." Ivy whispered, leaning away from Amy as the young girl stared forward.

"Three." She whispered, her lip quivering. "Doctor, its coming. I can feel it. I'm going to die."

"No." Ivy said immediately, squeezing her shoulder. "No, you won't-"

"Please just shut up. I'm thinking!" The Doctor said, standing up and walking back and forth again. "The counting, what's that about? Bob!" He cried, grabbing the walkie again and bringing it to his face. "Why are they making her count?"

"To make her afraid, sir."

"Okay, but why, what for?"

"For fun, sir." Bob said simply and Ivy watched the Doctor rock on his heels, processing this before he growled and threw the walkie into the forest. Ivy flinched, focusing back on Amy. Seeing 11 like this when he was usually so light and humorous was disconcerting.

"Doctor, what's happening to me? Explain!" Amy insisted and Ivy felt her shaking beneath her hand.

"Inside your head, in the vision centers of your brain, there's an Angel." The Doctor said, walking forward and squatting down in front of Amy again. "It's like there's a screen, a virtual screen inside your mind and the Angel is climbing out of it and it's coming... to shut you off."

"Then what do I do?"

"If it was a real screen, what would you do?" The Doctor asked, standing again and pacing again. "We'd pull the plug. We'd kill the power. But we can't just know her out. The Angel would just take over!"

"Then what? Quickly!" River snapped, watching him.

"We've... we've got to shut down-"

"Close your eyes." Ivy said quickly, looking down at Amy.

"Yes!" The Doctor cried, moving close and looking down at the redhead. "Close them, Amy."

"No, no, I don't want to." She whined, her nails digging into the moss of the log.

"Good, 'cause that's not you. That's the Angel inside you, it's afraid! Do it! Close your eyes."

She looked up at him, watching him nod frantically before she quickly squeezed her eyes shut. Ivy stared down at her, keeping a firm grip on her shoulder before the med-pack beeped frantically. River yanked it up, eyeing it before the screen turned green. "She's normalizing!" River sighed, closing her eyes and looking incredibly relieved. "You did it. You did it."

Ivy finally let herself relax a bit, but it didn't last long when one of the clerics called out that there were two more Angels heading toward them and then another said three more were as well. Amy was leaning up, looking a bit less pale and thankfully, she wasn't shaking anymore.

"Still weak. Dangerous to move her." River said, grabbing the med-pack off her arm and folding it away.

"So can I open my eyes now?" Amy asked, her head moving back and forth.

"Amy, listen to me. If you open your eyes now for more than a second, you will die. The Angel is still inside you. We haven't stopped it. We've just sort of... paused it." He sighed, his head falling tiredly. "You've used up your countdown. You cannot open your eyes."

Amy's shoulders fell and River quickly wrapped her arm around her, rubbing her arm. "It'll be okay." Ivy offered, but Amy didn't look any cheerier. Not that Ivy could blame her.

"Doctor we're too exposed here, we have to move on." Father Octavian said, tearing his eyes away from the Angels to look back at them.

"We're too exposed everywhere and Amy can't move. And anyway, that's not the plan." The Doctor said, glancing down at the redhead.

"What is the plan?"

"I don't know yet. I haven't finished talking." The Doctor muttered, jumping up and clapping his hands. Ivy could practically see the wheels in his head turning, formulating a plan as the words came out of his mouth. "Right! Father, you and your clerics, you're gonna stay here, look after Amy. If anything happens to her, I'll hold every single one of you personally responsible... twice. River, Ivy, we're going to go and find the primary flight deck, which is..." He paused, licking his finger and sticking it in the air and seemed to be checking for something. "1/4 of a mile straight ahead and from there and we're gonna stabilize the wreckage, stop the Angel's and cure Amy."

"How?" River asked, glancing up at him.

"I'll do a thing."

"What thing?" River insisted, squeezing Amy a bit tighter.

"I don't know." He said simply, shrugging. "It's a thing in progress, respect the thing. Moving out!" With that, he clapped his hands and walked past them before Father Octavian stopped him.

"Doctor, I'm coming with you." He said. "My clerics will look after Miss Pond. These are my best men. They'd lay down their lives in her protection."

"I don't need you." The Doctor grumbled, but Father Octavian shrugged.

"I don't care." He said, his voice stern and unmoving. "Where Dr. Song goes, I go."

"What?" The Doctor asked, looking over at River who had come to stand between them nervously. Ivy paused, watching the exchange. There was something wrong with River, she was sure of it now. Why else would Father Octavian have to keep such a close eye on her? Not to mention, he had threatened her earlier. "You two engaged or something?"

"Yes. In a manner of speaking." Father Octavian said, smiling mockingly at the Doctor before he began to give orders to his men. The Doctor glanced at River, who shrugged, clearly trying to play dumb.

"He can go instead of me." Ivy said, drawing the three pair of eyes to her. "I'll stay with Amy-"

"No." The Doctor said immediately, shaking his head. "You're with me, that's it-"

"You didn't listen to me earlier so-"

The Doctor rushed forward, a dark, serious look on his youthful face as he pulled her to the side and leaned in so close so could see every detail of his face. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you and I scared you. I am so very sorry for that." He whispered, the words coming out in a frantic rush. "But this isn't some kind of game. This isn't the time to get back at me. You can be angry and when we get out of this you can... can yell at me or slap me some more, I don't care. But until then, please... please just listen to me."

He sounded desperate and afraid and when Ivy looked into his eyes she could see a very real, deep fear there. She was still angry and still stubbornly wanted to put her foot down and go against his orders. But his fear scared her and even though she wasn't sure why he needed her with him so badly, she found herself nodding. "I'm still angry." She muttered, but he looked too relieved to care about her being mad. He grabbed her face, pressing his forehead against hers and closing his eyes.

"Thank you." He breathed, kissing her cheek before walking back toward the group. Father Octavian was giving orders to his men, setting them up to protect poor Amy, who was still sitting silently on the log.

"Doctor... please, can't I come with you?" The redhead asked, glancing in the direction she though the Doctor was. Ivy felt her heart sink and for a moment she wanted to argue the case of staying with the young woman again, not because she was angry with the Doctor, but so she wouldn't be alone.

"You'd slow us down, Miss Pond." Father Octavian said over his shoulder, heading up some stairs after River.

"I don't want to sound selfish, but you'd really speed me up." Amy joked nervously. The Doctor seated himself down next to her on the log, bumping her shoulder gently.

"You'll be safer here. We can't protect you on the move." He whispered, trying to sound calm and reassuring. "I'll be back for you as soon as I can... I promise."

"You always say that." Amy grumbled, her fingers twitching nervously in her lap.

"I always come back." He assured her, standing back up and brushing off his pants. "Good luck, everyone. Behave. Do not let that girl open her eyes. And keep watching the forest. Stop those Angel's from advancing. Amy, later." He patted Amy on her head, ruffling her hair before turning back toward Ivy. "Come on, then."

"You'll be okay, Amy." Ivy said, reaching down at squeezing her shoulder one last time. "I promise."

She would keep that promise, no matter what. She wouldn't watch the redhead die like she had Rory. She couldn't.

~DW~

The Doctor fumbled around with River's computer, scanning and adjusting it until it began to make a high pitched chirping noise. "What's that?" River asked, eyeing what he was doing curiously.

"Uh, readings from the crack in the wall." He mumbled, fiddling with it a bit more.

"How can a crack in the wall be the end of the universe?" Ivy asked, thinking back to that horrible, empty red landscape that she had seen outside the window on Orson's ship. She hadn't seen any crack... she hadn't seen anything.

"I don't know, but here's what I think. One day, there's gonna be a very big bang, so big every moment in history, past and future, will crack." The Doctor explained, trudging over the uneven landscape of the forest.

"Is that possible? How?"

"How can you be engaged 'in a manner of speaking'?" The Doctor asked, watching River cautiously as she swung around to meet his eyes. Ivy paused, wanting to hear this answer as well.

"Well..." River mumbled, looking back toward Father Octavian and thinking over what she was going to say. "Sucker for a man in uniform."

Father Octavian glanced back at that, looking torn between amusement and anger. He took a couple steps forward and Ivy saw the smirk on River's face disappear instantly. "Dr. Song is in my personal custody. I released her from the Stormcage Containment Facility four days ago," He explained. The Doctor stopped his scanning of the computer the minute the Father said something about this Stormcage. Ivy didn't know what it was, but from 'Containment Facility' and the way the Father had been on edge with River, she could certainly guess. "I am legally responsible for her until she's accomplished her mission and earned her pardon. Just so we understand each other."

He turned on his heel, stomping through the forest and leaving the three of them alone. River stared after him and Ivy couldn't tell if she was ashamed that they knew or angry that he had told them.

"I'm guessing Stormcage is a prison?" Ivy guessed, folding her arms and looking over at the woman. She didn't answer, just stared at her and pursed her red lips.

"Yes, yes it is." The Doctor said, studying River cautiously. River looked back at him, a stubborn look in her eyes before a beeping interrupted them.

"What? What is that?" River asked, looking toward the computer screen and effectively changing the subject. Ivy walked forward, looking at the screen to see foreign symbols flashing and changing on the screen.

"The date. The date of the explosion, where the crack begins." He mumbled, pressing some buttons.

"And for those of us who can't read the base code of the universe?" River asked, looking over at the Doctor. But as she began to ask the question, the symbols began to turn into regular numbers.

26-03-2011.

"Amy's time." The Doctor breathed, fear flickering in his eyes.

"Amy's time? What does that mean?" Ivy asked, watching the Doctor's mind whirl and process this. He continued to stare at the flickering computer screen, his jaw clenching and unclenching.

"Mean's we need to get out of here." He whispered, grabbing her wrist and pulling her through the forest. River followed after them dutifully, but Ivy could see she looked just as worried by this bit of news as Ivy was.

"Doctor-"

"Not now. We have to get out of here." He repeated, heading through the forest as quickly as he could. He continued to mess around with the computer as they went, but didn't talk anymore about the date that had flash on the screen and no one asked again. After a while, they finally reached a large metal wall that cut off the forest from the ship and as soon as it came into view Father Octavian went to work trying to find a way to open it. River took to scanning the forest, a gun pointed out in case any Angel's approached and the Doctor continued to tinker with the computer.

"It doesn't open it from here. But it's the primary flight deck." He walked along the wall, crouching down to look at a grated vent in between the two doors. "This has got to be a service hatch or something."

"Hurry up and open it." River ordered, sounding edgy. "Time's running out."

"What?" The Doctor scoffed, his head shooting up as he looked over at River. "What did you say? 'Time's running out'? Is that what you said?"

"Yeah," River mumbled sheepishly, glancing back at him. "I just meant..."

"I know what you meant. Hush!" He snapped, going back to the computer for a moment before something seemed to occur to him. "But what if it could?"

"What if what could?"

"Time. What if time could run out?" The Doctor asked, seeming to be catching onto something that River or Ivy couldn't see.

"Got it!" Father Octavian cried, glancing back at them from the hatch.

"Cracks..." The Doctor continued, to distracted by his own thoughts to care. "Cracks in time. Time running out. No couldn't be. Couldn't be. But how is a duck pond a duck pond without any ducks? And she didn't recognize the Daleks!" He cried, before pausing just a second to smile and nod at whatever he had come to understand. "Okay, time can shift, time can change, time can be rewritten. Ah! Oh!"

"Dr. Song, come in, now." Father Octavian urged, waving the woman forward. She quickly shoved the gun back into her pants and crouched down to slide into the small hole. "Miss Ivy..." Father Octavian after River was all the way through, waving her toward the hole.

"Doctor, come on." She said, gently tugging on his shirt but he ignored her, still caught up in his own head.

"It's been happening all around me and I haven't even noticed!" The Doctor cried, slapping the tree in front of him, clearly growing frustrated with whatever it was he seemed to have missed.

"Doctor, we have to move." Father Octavian tried.

"The Cyberking!" He cried, whipping around and pointing frantically at Ivy. "A giant cybermen walks over all of Victorian London and no one even remembers!"

"We have to move it!" Father Octavian interrupted, walking toward the alien and pulling on his arm. "The Angels could be here any second."

"Never mind the Angels!" The Doctor scoffed, tugging his arm away. "There's worse here than Angels."

The lights shut off, plunging them into complete darkness. It only lasted maybe a second, but when the lights did come back on and Ivy looked toward the Bishop, she found him pulled tightly against an Angel, it's stone arm wrapped firmly around his throat.

"I beg to differ, sir." He choked out, smiling shakily at the two of them.

The Doctor whipped his sonic out, scanning the Angel quickly. "I-is there a way to get it off?" Ivy asked but somehow she already knew there was no way out of this. If they looked away there was no stopping the creature from just snapping his neck.

"Not without looking away." The Doctor mumbled, confirming her fears. "I can't stop looking at it. It'll kill him."

"It's going to kill me anyway." Father Octavian said, his voice surprisingly calm for someone on the verge of death. "Think it through. There's no way out of this. You two have to leave me."

"Just... just try to pull out." Ivy insisted, unwilling to just let the man out. Too many people had died already and despite his gruff, no nonsense attitude, Father Octavian was a good man that didn't deserve to die... especially not like this.

"No, it's too tight." Father Octavian said, wiggling just a bit and hardly moving at all. He was right, the thing had too tight of a grip. "You two have to leave me. There is nothing you can do."

"No." Ivy insisted. No one else was dying. Ivy couldn't take it.

Father Octavian smiled sadly at her and Ivy could see that he had already accepted his fate. "Miss, there is nothing you can do. You need to go."

"You're dead if we leave you." The Doctor whispered.

"Yes, yes, I'm dead." He said, as though it was nothing. "And before you go..."

"We're not going." Ivy insisted and Ivy was thankful that the Doctor didn't argue.

"Listen to me, it's important! You can't trust her." Father Octavian breathed, struggling against the tight grip of the Angel.

"Trust who?"

"River Song." The Bishop said, his fingers tightening around the Angel's wrist. "You think you know her, but you don't. You don't understand who or what she is."

Ivy glanced at the Doctor, who looked just as confused by what he was talking about as she was. Whoever or whatever this River was, from his tone, Ivy knew it couldn't be good. She glanced toward the open hatch, growing nervous about the woman waiting inside.

"Then tell us." The Doctor ordered, watching Father Octavian cautiously.

"I've told you both more than I should have. Now, please, you have to go. It's your duty to your friends."

"Why was she in prison?" Ivy asked, not sure if she actually wanted the answer. Father Octavian looked at her, seeming to struggle with whether or not he should say, but after a moment he sighed.

"She killed a man." He admitted, his eyes flicking to the Doctor. "A good man, a hero to many."

Ivy felt her stomach twist, looking at Father Octavian in alarm. "She's a murderer?"

"Who?" The Doctor asked, sounding more curious than alarmed by this.

"You don't want to know, sir. You really don't." Father Octavian insisted, but the Doctor still had that hungry curiosity on his face.

"Who did she kill?"

"Sir, the Angels are coming. You have to leave me." Father Octavian growled, his eyes glancing nervously around the forest. Ivy's stomach dropped and she quickly shook her head.

"No. We can't-"

"You'll die."

"I will die in the knowledge that my courage did not desert me in the end." The Bishop smiled, looking fearful but at peace. "For that I thank God and bless the path that takes you both to safety." Ivy felt tears prick her eyes as she looked at him and she wanted so badly to destroy the Angel, to break it into nothing but tiny little rocks. She _hated _the thing.

"Can't we break it's arm off o-or kill the Angel somehow-" Ivy asked, but the Doctor reached out and grabbed her hand, shaking his head sadly.

"I wish I'd known you better." The Doctor said and Ivy turned away, fighting back tears. She knew, if the Doctor couldn't think of anything, that there most likely was no way to get him out, but Ivy still couldn't stand it. Another person dying. She hated it.

"I think, sir, you know me at my best." The Bishop smiled, looking between the Doctor and her.

"Please, just... there had to be something-"

"It's okay, Miss." Father Octavian whispered, smiling at her. She bit her lip, trying to fight back the tears in her eyes. The Doctor squeezed her hand again and when she looked over at him, she saw tears shining in his eyes as well.

"Ready?"

The Bishop sighed, slowly closing his eyes and smiling. "Content."

The Doctor stared at him for a moment longer, taking a deep breath before he pulled Ivy away toward the hatch, shoving her through and then climbing in himself. Just before he closed the door, Ivy heard the sickening crack from outside and she flinched, turning away to try to stop herself from crying.

"There's a teleport! If I can get it to work we can beam the other's here!" River said, messing around with something on the ground before she finally looked up. "Ivy? What-"

"I'm fine." Ivy insisted, quickly wiping away the tear that escaped.

"Ivy-"

"Leave it." Ivy snapped and the woman gave her a hurt look, glancing over at the Doctor to try and figure out what was wrong.

"Octavian's dead." The Doctor said, marching toward the broken down computers. "So is that teleport. You're wasting your time. I'm going to need your communicator."

He snatched it away from her and began to fiddle with it using his sonic again. Ivy kept in the corner and she saw River's eyes on her, looking worried and unsure if she should try to help her. Ivy turned away, hoping the woman would leave her alone.

"...lo? Hel...lo?"

There was static and it cut in and out, but Ivy was sure that the voice belonged to Amy. The Doctor perked up, bringing the communicator close. "Amy? Amy is that you?"

"Doctor?" Amy called, sounding relieved.

"Where are you? Are the clerics with you?"

"They've gone." Amy muttered and Ivy's heart dropped. More dead. "There was a light and they walked into the light. Doctor, they didn't even remember each other."

"No, they wouldn't." The Doctor sighed, closing his eyes and bowing his head.

"It took them too." Ivy sighed, shaking her head.

"What is that light?" River asked, glancing at the Doctor as she continued to fiddle with the teleport.

"Time running out. Amy, I'm sorry, I've made a mistake. I should never have left you there." The Doctor admitted, grabbing at different parts of the computers and trying to fix it.

"Well, what do I do now?"

"You come to us."

"She can't even open her eye!" Ivy said, shaking her head in alarm.

"The Primary Flight Deck, the other end of the Forest." The Doctor continued, ignoring Ivy.

"I can't see. I can't open my eyes."

"Turn on the spot." The Doctor ordered, fiddling with the sonic and pointing it to the walkie.

"Sorry, what?"

"Just do it. Turn on the spot." He said, sonicing the walkie again. "When the communicator sounds like my screwdriver that means you're facing the right way. Follow the sound." There was a pause and Ivy winced at the loud, high pitched whirring coming from the thing before it calmed and sounded like the familiar sound of the sonic screwdriver. "You have to start moving now."

"You can't let that crack get you, Amy." Ivy insisted, nearly knocking into the Doctor to talk to Amy. "You have to stay ahead of it."

"But the Angels, they're everywhere."

"We should go back for her." Ivy sighed, running a hand through her hair nervously.

"She'll be fine. Amelia Pond, the girl who waited... she's brilliant." He said, flashing her a quick smile and tapping her nose. "And I'm sorry Amy, I really am, but the Angels can only kill you."

"Really reassuring." Ivy spat, glaring at him, but he shrugged.

"What does the time energy do?" Amy asked, her voice shaking with fear. Ivy frowned, glancing at the Doctor, who looked grim.

"Just keep moving!"

"Tell me!"

"If the time energy catches up with you, you'll never have been born. It will erase your existence and you will never have existed at all." The Doctor growled, slamming his free hand down on the metal of the console in frustration. Ivy sighed, closing her eyes and shaking her head. The Doctor seemed to realize he was getting a bit worked up because he took a deep breath and closed his eyes quickly. "Now... keep your eyes shut and keep moving."

"It's never going to work." River said and Ivy had nearly forgotten she was there. The Doctor whipped around, anger and rage in his green eyes.

"What else have you got? River, tell me?" He roared, far angrier than Ivy had ever seen him. He hadn't even gotten this mad when they had a drill coming to kill them all and Ivy actually felt a bit bad when River stared him down, a hurt look in her eyes.

"Doctor, just calm down-"

"How?!" He cried, turning toward her and shaking his head. "I'm _trying _to save Amy-"

"I know!" She snapped, glaring at him. "But you screaming at everyone doesn't help anything!"

He glared at her, his eyes alight with that fiery rage before he calmed, rubbing his face tiredly. He sighed, realizing she was right. "I'm sor-"

There was a loud clang that echoed though the flight deck and then another and another. The three of them looked up, trying to figure out what the hell was happening now.

"What is that?" Ivy asked, fear bubbling in the pit of her stomach.

"The Angels running form the fire. They came here to feed on the time energy. Now it's going to feed on them." The Doctor muttered, before he whipped back around and began to use the sonic on the walkie again. "Amy, listen to me. I'm sending a bit of software to your communicator. It's a proximity detector. It'll beep if there's something in your way. You just maneuver till the beeping stops. Because Amy, this is important, the forest is full of Angels." He paused, clenching his eyes shut and sighing. "You're going to have to walk like you can see."

"Well, what do you mean?" She cried, sounding alarmed.

"Look, just keep moving."

"That time energy. What's it going to do?" River asked cautiously, continuing to mess around with the teleport.

"Uh, keep eating." The Doctor sighed, rubbing his eyes.

"How do we stop it?"

"Feed it." The Doctor muttered. He didn't look up when he answered though and his shoulders were tense, which made Ivy very nervous.

"Feed it what?" She asked, biting her lip fearfully.

"A big complicated space-time event should shut it up for a while." He grumbled, his voice growing edgier and more frustrated.

"Like what, for instance?" River asked, looking up from her work apprehensively.

"Like me, for instance!" He snapped, whipping around to glare at the curly haired women. Ivy froze, fear threading its way through her. The Doctor wouldn't sacrifice himself, would he? He couldn't. She had already met a future version of him.

_Time can be rewritten._

Could he really die here? No, Ivy would make sure he didn't. No one else would be dying today. If they needed a complicated time even, Ivy knew of another one...

A high pitched beeping interrupted Ivy's thoughts. "What's that?" Amy asked through the walkie. The Doctor frowned, looking nervous.

"It's a warning. There are Angels around you now." He warned her, his jaw clenching as he tried to keep calm. "Amy, listen to me. This is going to be hard, but I know you can do it. The Angels are scared and running and right now they're not that interested in you. They'll assume you can see them and their instincts will kick in. All you've got to do is walk like you can see. Just don't open your eyes." He paused, closing his eyes tightly and rubbing his forehead in frustration. "Walk like you can see them."

The beeping continued, filling the tense, silent room. The Doctor sighed, opening his eyes to look down at the walkie. "You're not moving. You have to do this. Now." The beeping continued though and the Doctor slammed his hand down onto the console. "You have to do this!"

The beeping continued evenly for a second, before it began to speed up and become uneven and then steady again and then uneven. Ivy waited, her heart beating wildly and she hoped and prayed that Amy would get through everything okay. The pattern of beeping continued for a little while until, to Ivy's horror, the walkie seem to crackle and she heard Amy cry out on the other end.

"Doctor! I can't find the communicator!" Amy cried, her voice becoming hysterical. "I dropped it! I can't find it, Doctor." Ivy heard Amy fumbling around for the walkie. "Doctor! Ivy, please..."

"We have to go get her." Ivy said, feeling sick as she heard Amy call out for her again. "We have to-"

"Ivy, come here." River ordered suddenly, waving her toward the teleport. "Come now and I can get Amy here with this." Ivy quickly did as she was told and River took her hand, guiding it to a switch on the console. The woman messed around with a couple of things before turning toward Ivy and looking her in the eyes. "When I say so, you flip this switch, alright?" Ivy nodded, taking a steady breath as River knelt down, disappearing underneath the console for a moment, messed around with something and then looked up at her again. "And... now."

Ivy flipped the switch and there was a flare of light, taking shape and then Amy stumbled forward into Ivy's arms. She grabbed the redhead up, shaking with relief. "Amy, thank God." She breathed, hugging Amy tight, tears pricking her eyes again.

"Don't open your eyes." River warned, rubbing Amy's back gently. "You're on the flight deck, the Doctor's here, Ivy and I teleported you. See?" She said, smirking at the Doctor. "Told you I could get it working."

"Thank you." Ivy whispered, meeting her bright green eyes. She squeezed Ivy's arm, winking at her before an alarm began to blare. What now?

"What is that?"

"The Angels are draining the last of the ship's power. Which means..." The Doctor cried, running toward the door they had come through. "The shield is going to release."

Ivy tightened her hold on Amy as the metal creaked and the door slowly began to open and revealed a mass of Angels waiting just outside. River took a step forward and Ivy was surprised and confused when the woman seemed to shield her and Ivy with her body.

"Angel Bob, I presume." The Doctor asked and Ivy noticed a walkie in the lead Angel's hand.

"The time field is coming. It will destroy our reality." Angel Bob said and if Ivy wasn't mistaken, he was scared.

"Yeah, look at you all, running away." The Doctor mocked, glaring out at the group of them. "What can I do for you?"

"There is a rupture in time. The Angels calculate that if you throw yourself into it, it will close and they will be saved."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Could do, could do that. But why?" The Doctor muttered, eyeing Angel Bob.

"Because it is either you or we take Ivy and throw her in."

Ivy flinched, shaking as she looked out at the cold, blank face of Angel Bob. "I'm... I'm enough to stop it?"

"No!" The Doctor roared, turning to give her a fierce, dark glare. "Get that thought out of your head because it will _never _happen."

"If you sacrifice yourself, then you can protect her and your friends." Angel Bob offered and the Doctor turned back toward them.

"Well, there is that."

"I've traveled in time." River said, walking toward the Doctor eagerly. "I'm a complicated space-time even too, throw me in."

"No!" Ivy snapped and River glanced back, actually looking a bit surprised. Sure, the woman had murdered someone and she made Ivy a little nervous, but she _had_ saved Amy. She didn't need to die either.

"Oh, be serious!" The Doctor scoffed, not even bothering to look down at her. "Compared to me, these Angels are more complicated than you and it would take every one of them to amount to me, so get a grip."

"Doctor, I can't let you do this." River protested, but the Doctor brushed her off.

"No, serious, get a grip."

"You and Ivy are not going to die here!"

"No, I mean it." The Doctor snapped, looking over at them meaningfully. "River, Amy, Ivy, get a grip."

Ivy stared, not understanding what he was trying to say but River seem to. She gave a breathless laugh, squeezing the Doctor's arm. "Oh, you genius!" She smiled, turning around to head back toward Ivy and Amy. She quickly ushered them toward the consoles, taking Amy's hand and wrapping it around a bar. "Hold on tight and don't let go for anything. Ivy, go to that one." Ivy quickly nodded and even though she didn't understand what was going on, she did as she was told and gripped the bar tightly with both hands.

"Sir, the Angels need you to sacrifice yourself now."

"Thing is, Bob, the Angels are draining all the power from this ship, every last bit of it. And you know what?" The Doctor said, staring out at the frozen army with a smirk on his face. "I think they've forgotten where they're standing. I think they've forgotten the gravity of the situation. Or to put it another way, Angels... night-night."

The ground shook violently and Ivy felt a sort of tug before the gravity completely failed and the only thing stopping her from falling was her grip on the metal bar. The Doctor spun on his heel just in time to stop himself from falling and the four of them struggled to keep from falling into the crack with the mass of Angels. Ivy dared a glance behind her, watching as the last few Angels flew back into the bright white light and the horrible thing snapped shut.

~DW~

Ivy shivered as the wind blew and she wrapped the blanket tighter around herself. "Oh, bruised all over." Amy grumbled next to her, her eyes completely open and a wrapped in a similar blanket.

"Me too." The Doctor said, grinning at her.

"You didn't have to climb out with your eyes shut." Amy grumbled, stretching a bit to try and help with the pain. Ivy chuckled, rolling her eyes.

"Neither did you." She teased, bumping her shoulder.

"I kept saying the Angels all fell into the time field- the Angel in your memory never existed. It can't harm you now." The Doctor said simply, shrugging.

"Then why do we remember it all?" Amy asked, clearly confused. "Those guys on the ship didn't remember each other."

"You're a time traveler now. The both of you." He said, rocking back on his feet. "Changes the way you see the universe. Forever good, isn't it?"

"And the crack." Amy asked, the smile quickly fading from her face. "Is that gone too?"

The Doctor hesitated for a moment, clearly struggling with how to answer. "Yeah. For now. But the explosion that caused it is still happening..." He looked out toward the ocean, his hair ruffling in the wind. "Somewhere out there. Somewhere in time."

Ivy was nervous about that, but she tried to focus on the fact that Amy and the Doctor had both made it out intact and completely alive. Well, Amy, the Doctor... and River. She looked over at Dr. Song standing several feet away, her wrists locked in a pair of handcuffs as she waited patiently to be taken back by the clerics. Ivy chewed her lip nervously before she stood, heading over toward the woman with the Doctor just behind her.

"You, me, the Doctor... handcuffs." River smirked, lifting her hands and wiggling them at the two of them. "Must it always end this way?"

Ivy actually smiled at her, shifting a bit on the uneven beach. "What now?" She asked, studying River.

"The prison ship's in orbit. They'll beam me up any second. I may have done enough to earn a pardon this time." River explained, shrugging casually. "We'll see."

"Octavian said you killed a man." The Doctor said and Ivy watched River cautiously. The smile she had on her face froze for a moment before completely fading.

"Yes, I did." She admitted, lifting her chin and staring the two of them in the eye.

"A good man."

"A very good man." She admitted, a very deep sadness in her eyes. "The best man I've ever known. And killing him..." She paused, looking away from them briefly to gather herself. "Killing him hurt someone else that I love... very much."

Ivy stared at the woman, taking in the pain that this murder caused her and despite herself, she actually felt a bit sorry for her. What had happened to make her kill someone she cared for? That someone she loved cared for? There were so many questions to be asked and so little time.

"Who was it?" Ivy asked cautiously.

To her surprise, River laughed brightly, her eyes twinkling as she looked back at Ivy. "It's a long story, love. Can't be told. It has to be lived. No sneak previews. Well, except for this one." She paused, leaning in a bit closer and smirking at the two of them. "You'll see me again quite soon, when the Pandorica opens."

"Pandorica?" Ivy asked, confused. But the Doctor seemed to know what she was talking about, because he laughed and shook his head.

"The Pandorica. That's a fairy tale."

"Oh, Doctor!" River laughed, a soft, loving look in her eyes as she looked between the two of them. "Aren't we all?"

"I'll see you there." The Doctor smiled back, though he still looked skeptical.

"I look forward to it. I remember it well." River said, earning another laugh from the Doctor and a smile from Ivy. The Doctor began to walk away over the uneven rocks but Ivy remained behind with River. "It was good to see you, love."

"It was... nice to meet you." Ivy smiled and was surprised to find she meant it. "Thank you for saving Amy."

"Oh, wasn't the first time. Won't be the last either." She chuckled as the redhead herself came toward them.

"Bye, River."

"I'll see you soon, Amy." River assured her. Ivy heard a soft beeping and River glanced up. "Oh! I think that's my ride."

Ivy took a step back with Amy, but the Doctor hesitated. "Can I trust you, River Song?" He asked, watching the woman very carefully.

"If you like." River shrugged, smiling at him brightly. "But where's the fun in that?"

With a roar of wind, River was engulfed in the same tunnel that had brought the clerics down before and after a couple of twirls the tunnel and River were gone. Ivy stared at the spot where she had been, more confused that she had ever been before. River was certainly the most confusing person Ivy had met with the Doctor so far and she was sure she was sure that wasn't going to change any time soon. The Doctor slowly walked away, turning back toward the water, staring out at the crashing waves with a worried look on his face.

"What are you thinking about?"

He smiled, glancing at the two of them with an odd look on his face. "Time can be rewritten."

Ivy wasn't sure what that meant and the Doctor didn't offer an explanation. Instead, they headed back into the TARDIS and quickly left the shore line for good.

**There it is. Kind of long, but I couldn't find a good place to break it up without the chapters being super short. **

**Please, please, please review! It means a lot and it's helpful. Thank you for reading and just let me know what you think! **

**Thanks! **


	9. Gridlock

**So, I'm back! Sorry it took so long but I've been suppperrr busy with finals and my senior project. But here is chapter 9, Gridlock! Thank you to those of you who favorited and followed. But people, please, please review! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. **

As soon as she stepped inside, the crippling pain began in her head and she would have crumpled on the ground if the Doctor hadn't caught her. She hissed, grabbing her head as the Doctor cradled her close, brushing her hair away. "Ivy, I'm sorry." He whispered, pressing a kiss to her temple.

She couldn't even respond because the familiar tug came and she flew back quickly. She landed in a bed again this time, bouncing around a bit before settling into the fluffy sheets. She opened her eyes, glancing around to find she had landed in her bedroom in the TARDIS. That was a slight relief.

She leaned up, rubbing her head and wishing desperately she had some medicine for the headache. When she opened her eyes though, she found a rather large bottle of Excedrin sitting on the desk in the corner. She reached up, gingerly taking the giant bottle and glancing at the ceiling nervously.

"Um... thanks." She mumbled, feeling extremely silly for talking to the time machine. But she felt a sort of tingle, then a ringing and she found herself smiling.

She took a couple of pills, setting the bottle back down before glancing around the room. It looked relatively the same as the last time she had been in here. Bed wasn't made, some clothes were scattered around the floor and she even saw a dirty dish on her desk. It was very lived in.

Ivy changed out of her dirty clothes and into some yoga pants and a simple t-shirt before heading out to the console room. She headed down the long hallway, hoping that the TARDIS was leading her where she needed to go like the Doctor said it would. Thankfully, it did and she saw the familiar coral pillars and the soft, yellow glow of the 10th's TARDIS.

"...what I said- one trip in the TARDIS and then home. Although... Ivy!"

The 10th Doctor leaned up from the console when he caught sight of her, grinning brightly. A young black women in a leather jacket sat off to the side in the old leather chair by the console and if Ivy wasn't mistaken, the women looked a little disappointed to see her. "Um, hey." She said, nodding at him as she made her way up toward the console.

"When did you get here?"

"Oh, um... just a little while ago." She muttered, running a hand through her hair nervously. "Just got back from... the future, I guess."

The Doctor smiled at her, clearly amused by her stumbling. "Well, I was just got back from seeing Shakespeare and I was telling Martha here... maybe I could extend it to another trip."

Ivy glanced at this Martha, who tore her eyes away from her to look over at the Doctor, a small, smile growing on her face. She looked happy at this news, but there was something else in her eyes, something that Ivy recognized. That was new.

"One trip into the past, one trip into the future... how do you fancy that?" The Doctor asked, glancing at Martha, who smiled even wider and perked up in her chair.

"No complaints from me."

"Good!" The Doctor said, reaching down and spinning a device on the console. "Any suggestions, Ivy? Could show her space Florida. Or Omba... Ombians have the _best _ice cream in the universe."

"Can we go to yours?" Martha interrupted, leaning toward him eagerly.

"I haven't been there yet." Ivy said, leaning back against the railing and watching as the Doctor slowed in his messing with the console for a moment, his smile fading just a bit. There was an odd look in his eyes as he studied her for just a moment before looking away and shaking his head. Ivy frowned, feeling a bit worried at that look. But she wasn't sure if she was making it up or not. Maybe the Doctor just didn't want to go home. He hadn't seemed too happy when they had visited by accident in that barn, crying all alone under the covers. Maybe home held bad memories. It would explain why he was always running around the universe.

"Ah, there's plenty of other places." He insisted, studying the buttons and levers on the console instead of looking at the two of them. Martha jumped down from her seat, rushing around toward him with a smile still on her face.

"Come on, though." Martha said, smiling at him. "Planet of the Time Lords, that's got to be worth a look. What's it like?"

The Doctor paused, his fingers running over the button a bit before he looked up. "It's beautiful, yeah."

There was something in his voice, something off and Ivy was growing surer of it. Martha didn't seem to catch on though, because she continued on with an excited smile. "I bet it's all like, outer-space cities, all spires and stuff."

"Suppose it is." The Doctor muttered, the smile completely gone now.

"Great big temples and cathedrals-"

"Uh, maybe we could just go to Omba for the ice cream." Ivy tried, but Martha immediately frowned at her, shaking her head.

"I can get ice cream on Earth." She muttered, giving Ivy an annoyed look before turning back toward the Doctor and grinning. "I bet there are lots of planets in the sky?"

The Doctor paused, fiddling with a lever before finally looking up. "The skies are burnt orange, with a citadel enclosed in a mighty glass dome, shining under the twin suns. Beyond that, the mountains go on forever... slopes of deep red grass, capped with snow." He was far away now, his eyes starring off as he described this mysterious and mesmerizing Gallifrey. He seemed to realize that he had gotten away from himself, because he glanced down at Martha and then looked away again quickly.

"Can we go there?" Martha asked, staring at him in wonder.

"Nah!" He cried, his head whipping up and he looked like his old self again. "Where's the fun for me? I don't want to go home." He rushed around the console, grabbing another lever and yanking it a couple of times, making the TARDIS shake. "Instead... this is much better! Year 5,000,000,053, planet New Earth, second home of mankind, 50,000 light years from your old world and we're slap-bang in the middle of New New York." He rushed around, grabbing his jacket, throwing it on and then quickly tugged Ivy, who gave a squeak of surprise, toward the door. "Although, technically, it's the 15th New York since the original so it's New New New New New New New New New New New New New New New York." He squeezed Ivy to his side, winking at her before looking back at Martha and pulling the door open. "One of the most dazzling cities ever built."

"Oh, wet." Ivy cried as soon as they stepped outside and she was splashed in the face by giant drops of rain. Martha quickly began to zip up her jacket, shaking from the cold.

"Time Lord version of dazzling." Martha grumbled, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Nah," The Doctor scoffed, shutting the door behind him. "Bit of rain never hurt anyone. Come on, let's get under cover." He pulled Ivy with him as Martha followed behind them through what looked like a dark, dank back ally. The rain didn't let up, but luckily they found some cover pretty quickly.

"Looks like the same old Earth to me." Martha muttered, eyeing the grungy area skeptically. "On a Wednesday afternoon."

"Hold on, hold on." The Doctor said, heading toward a computer screen off to the side. "Let's have a look." He pulled his screwdriver out, sonicing the screen. It flickered to life, the screen fuzzy for a moment before the Doctor hit it a couple times and a pretty blonde came onto the screen.

"And the driving should be clear and easy with 15 extra lanes open for the New New Jersey expressway."

The screen changed again, revealing a tall, beautiful city glistening over a lake and flying cars whizzing by. "Oh, that's more like it. That's the view we had last time." The Doctor grinned, elbowing Ivy. "Beautiful view, remember?"

"Haven't been yet." She said, raising an eyebrow and studying the view. "I'm still pretty early on. Only been with this you one other time."

The Doctor's smile faded just a bit, but he quickly nodded. "Right. Well, first time then. Even better." He shrugged, glancing out from under the doorway. "This must be the lower levels. Down in the base of the tower, some sort of under-city."

"You've brought me to the slums?" Martha complained, looking back at the screen with a slightly envious look on her face.

"Much more interesting!" The Doctor insisted. "It's all cocktails and glitter up there. This is the real city."

"You'd enjoy anything." Martha chuckled, shaking her head.

"That's me." He smiled, looking back out at the alleyway as the rain slowly began to let up. "Oh, the rain's stopping. Better and better."

"When you say 'last time' was that you...two and Rose?" Martha asked, looking between the two of them and Ivy swore Martha gave her a slight frown when she looked at her.

"Rose?" Ivy asked, glancing over at the Doctor.

The Doctor paused, giving Ivy a very sad look. "You haven't met Rose yet?" He asked, studying her. She shook her head, slightly worried about the look on his face. "Really early for you then." He muttered and Ivy could tell he didn't sound happy about it. Ivy sighed, wondering when she was going to stop being 'young' and seeing that disappointed look on his face. "Yeah, yeah, we did come here before, yeah."

Martha frowned, looking offended by this. "You're taking me to the same planets that you took her?"

Ivy paused, suddenly realizing what those looks were about. Martha had a thing for the Doctor. She was _jealous._ Of this Rose, of her. And from the way the Doctor looked at her, all wide eyed and completely oblivious, the Doctor had no idea. Somehow that didn't surprise her.

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing." Martha snapped, giving him a glare before brushing past the two of them. "Just, ever heard of the word 'rebound'?"

Before Martha could even take two steps a metal flap shot open, revealing a smiling man with a white shirt. "Oh! You should have said. How long you been there? Happy. You want happy. Happy, happy."

His voice seem to set off a chain, because more flaps began to open and revealed several different vendors who began to yell about customers and what they were offering. "Mellow!" One called, while another shouted out, "Anger, buy some anger!"

"You want some happy?"

"Mellow!"

"What the hell?" Ivy muttered, shaking her head. The whole thing was giving her a headache and Ivy could see that the Doctor was growing annoyed as well.

"No, thanks." He muttered, shaking his head.

"Are they selling drugs?" Martha asked.

"I think they're selling moods." He said, looking around at the different vendors still screaming at the three of them.

"Isn't that the same thing?" Ivy said, glancing around at the various vendors calling out to people. She caught sight of a woman wrapped in black heading up the ally as well and the different vendors immediately began to call out to her like the vultures they were.

"Over here, sweetheart."

"Over here! Buy some happy. Happy?!"

The woman went to the heavy set vendor screaming about Mellow, who immediately leaned down and gave her a winning smile. "And what can I get you, my love?"

"I want to buy forget." She muttered, a deep sadness in her voice. She had a haunted look about her, one that Ivy recognized immediately.

"I got forget, my darling." The vendor said, peering down at the woman. "What strength? How much you want forgetting?"

"It's my mother and father." The woman muttered, looking near tears. "They went on the motorway."

The Doctor took a couple of steps closer, his eyes narrowing as he studied the young, sad woman. "Oh, that's a swain." The vendor clucked, giving her a sad look before reaching eagerly behind the counter and pulling out what looked like a small translucent sticker. "Try this. Forget 43. That's two credits."

The woman quickly handed over the credits, clutching the Forget 43 in her hand like a lifeline. She started to turn away, eagerly heading off to take the thing but the Doctor held out a hand to stop her. "Sorry, but... hold on a minute. What happened to your parents?"

"They drove off." The woman muttered, her blue eyes shining with unshed tears.

"Yeah, but... they might drive back?" Ivy said, a sick sort of feeling in her stomach. She knew all too well that people could drive off and never come back. The Doctor seemed to sense where her mind was going, because he lay a hand on the small of her back, glancing down at her. She blushed, hating that knowing look on his face and she gently pulled away, earning a hurt look from him.

"Everyone goes to the motorway in the end." The woman sighed, shaking her head. "I've lost them."

"But they can't have gone far." Ivy insisted, smiling at her hopefully. "You could find them."

But the woman gave her a sad, hopeless look and brought the sticker to her neck, pressing it into her skin before the Doctor or Ivy could stop her. A dreamy look came over her face, all of that sadness and hopelessness fading away before she looked back up at them. "I'm sorry. What were you saying?"

"Your parents. Your mother and father- they're on the motorway." The Doctor said, looking the woman over carefully. But she didn't look sad at the mention of her parents this time, just gave the Doctor that dreamy look.

"Are they? That's nice." She muttered absentmindedly. Ivy frowned, shaking her head and looking away. "I'm sorry. I won't keep you." She slowly walked around them, stumbling down the alleyway with her head in the clouds. Ivy couldn't help but watch the woman go, disgust bubbling in her stomach.

"So that's the human race 5 billion years in the future?" Martha scoffed, looking just as disgusted as Ivy. "Off their heads on chemicals."

Ivy was about to agree, but before she could get a word out a man and woman rushed forward, the man grabbing Martha and dragging her back while the woman pointed a futuristic gun toward the Doctor and Ivy. "Sorry, sorry. We just need three, that's all!" The man cried, dragging Martha back.

"Let her go!" Ivy snapped, rushing forward, but the Doctor grabbed her and yanked her behind him.

"I'm warning you, let her go!" The Doctor cried, making sure Ivy was kept behind him and away from the gun as he slowly followed after the couple. "Whatever you want, we can help! Both of us, we can help!" The couple didn't listen though, continuing back further and further until they finally got to the doorway. "But first, you've got to let her go!" The Doctor screamed just as the woman slammed the door shut. But just before she did, her face broke and Ivy saw she looked close to tears, letting out a strangled 'sorry'. Kidnappers that apologized. That was a new one.

The Doctor launched himself at the door, yanking on the handle but it didn't budge. "Sonic it!" Ivy urged, slapping his arm frantically. He quickly did as she said, pulling out the screwdriver and she heard the familiar pulsing noise before the door unlocked and he yanked it open.

They ran down the alley, past trash and empty boxes till they found a door that led onto a rusty old stair case outside. Ivy caught sight of a now unconscious Martha and the couple dragging her into what looked like a metal box that levitated before taking off between the buildings and disappearing. "Martha!" The Doctor screamed, but they were gone.

~DW~

The Doctor banged his fist against the metal, anger radiating off him in waves. The metal flap opened, revealing the heavy set woman who had sold the woman Forget 43. She smiled brightly, happy to see some more customers. "Thought you'd come back. Do you want some Happy, Happy?"

"Those people, who were they? Where did they take her?" The Doctor demanded, glaring up at her.

"They've taken her to the motorway." The man who had been yelling about Happy said from behind them.

"Looked like carjackers to me." The Mellow vendor said, shrugging.

"I'd give up now, darling." Another vendor, a black women with a scarf wrapped around her head. "You won't see her again."

"Used to be thriving, this place." The man said. "You couldn't move. But they all to go the motorway in the end."

"They kept on saying three, 'we need three'." Ivy asked, looking between a couple of the vendors. "What did he mean, three?"

"It's the car-sharing policy, to save fuel. You get special access if you're carrying three adults."

"This motorway, how do we get there?"

"Straight down the alley, keep going to the end. You can't miss it." The Mellow vendor said and the Doctor quickly grabbed Ivy's hand, pulling her toward the alley. "Tell you what- buy some Happy, Happy." She called, making the Doctor stop and glare back at her. "Then you'll be smiling, my love."

"Oh, shut-"

"Word of advice, all of you." The Doctor interrupted Ivy, gripping her hand tightly in his. "Cash up, close down, and pack your bags."

"Why's that then?" The woman asked, frowning at him.

"Because as soon as I've found her alive and well- and I will find her alive and well- then I'm coming back. And this street is closing. Tonight!"

The Doctor turned on his heel, heading down the alley that the woman said the motorway was, his hand gripping hers so tightly it almost hurt. "Doctor-" She started, but he didn't say anything and he certainly didn't stop. "She'll be okay."

"I know she will." The Doctor growled, stopping at a door at the end of the alley and sonicing it open. "Nothing is happening to her. Not again."

"Again?" She asked, but he didn't answer as the door swung open and they stepped through the door to find a mass of floating cars, going so far in each direction Ivy couldn't see where it began or ended. She also immediately noticed how hard it got to breathe, the air clouded by dark gasses from the different cars. She began to cough, the air becoming more and more suffocating. "Doctor, we have to-"

The door of the nearest car burst open, revealing a man with goggles and a scarf wrapped around his face. He peered out at them, waving them forward. "You daft little street struts! What are you doing standing there? Either get out or get in. Come on!"

The Doctor grabbed Ivy's hand again, pulling her toward the open door and they both jumped inside. The man quickly shut the door behind them, cutting them off from the smoke and Ivy tried to cough the remainder of it out of her lungs.

"Did you ever see the like?" The man asked, shaking his head. A woman rushed forward, handing both Ivy and the Doctor oxygen masks. Ivy pressed it against her face, sucking in the fresh air gratefully. "Just standing there, breathing it in." The man grumbled, pulling away his goggles and scarf to reveal a very feline face. Ivy gapped, almost dropping her mask in shock. She looked over at the Doctor, trying to see if this was as shocking as it was to her, but he stared at the man as if he was perfectly normal. Figures. "There's the story, says, back in the old days, on Junction 47, this women stood in the exhaust fumes for a solid 20 minutes. By the time they found her, her head had swollen to 50 feet."

"Oh, you're making it up." The pretty, brunette scoffed, shaking her head at the feline man as he took a seat next to her in the driver's seat. "A 50-foot head. Just think of it."

"Imagine picking that nose."

"He's a cat." Ivy whispered, looking over at the Doctor. He gave her an amused look, shaking his head.

"Not the first one we've come across one." He muttered, quickly pressing the mask back to his face.

"Course he isn't." She muttered, taking a couple more deep breathes.

"Oh, Bran, we're moving." The woman cried, quickly turning toward the front and staring out eagerly.

"Right, I'm there. I'm on it." The cat man, Bran, said, shifting the car into gear. The car moved a whole couple of feet before coming to a halt again and Bran shifted it back into park, leaning back and staring out the window with a look of satisfaction. "20 yards. We're having a good day." He said, looking over at the woman who looked just as happy about this measly 20 yard move. "And who might you two be? Pretty well-dressed for a couple hitchhikers."

"Thanks. Sorry. I'm the Doctor. And this is Ivy." The Doctor said, grinning at the two.

"Medical man! Ha ha." Bran chuckled, nodding at the two of them. "My name's Thomas Kincade Brannigan and this is the bane of my life, the lovely Valerie."

"Nice to meet you." Valerie smiled.

"And that's the rest of the family behind you." Bran said and the Doctor turned, pulling back a curtain to reveal a group of four kittens with little bows around their necks.

"Oh, my God." Ivy gushed, reaching down and scratching the little white one's ears. He purred gratefully, his little back arching.

"Aw, that's nice." The Doctor grinned, grabbing the small black girl, bringing it close and scratching under her chin. "How old are they?"

"Just two months." Valerie said, reaching up to pet the girl the Doctor was holding and smiling at the kitten lovingly.

"Poor little souls- they've never known the ground beneath their paws- children of the motorway." Bran sighed, staring at the group of kittens with a bit of sadness in his eyes.

"What, they were born in here?" The Doctor asked, making Ivy pause in her petting to look toward the two drivers. They couldn't possibly mean these kittens were... Valerie's? She supposed it would make sense but that was... odd. Just another thing to wrap her mind around.

"We couldn't stop." Valerie shrugged, like birthing a litter of kittens in a car was completely normal. "We heard there were jobs going out in the laundries on Fire Island. Thought we'd take a chance."

"You've been driving for two whole months?" Ivy asked, staring at the two of them in disbelief.

"Do I look like a teenager?" Bran scoffed, looking at the two of them as though they were stupid. "We've been driving for 12 years now."

"I'm sorry?"

"You can't be serious."

"Yeah, started out as newlyweds." Bran said, grinning over at Valerie. "Feels like yesterday."

"Feels like 12 years to me." Valerie sighed, staring out at the other cars with a tired look on her face.

"Oh, but you still love me!" Bran said, leaning over and tickling Valerie, who giggled. It would have been cute, if Ivy wasn't so shocked by all of this. 12 years? Stuck in this tiny little car every single freakin' day? Ivy would blow her brains out.

"12 years? How far did you come? Where did you start?" The Doctor asked, looking equally as shocked by this.

"Battery Park. It's 5 miles back."

"_5 miles. _In _12 years_?" Ivy gasped, shaking her head at the two of them. What the hell kind of motor way was this?

"I think they're a bit slow." Bran commented to his wife, who eyed the two of them curiously.

"Where are you two from?"

"Never mind that." The Doctor said, gently setting the black cat back in the basket with her brother and sister's. "I've got to get out. My friends in one of these cars. She was taken hostage. I should get back to the TARDIS." He jerked the door open again, immediately coughing when his face hit the fumes.

"You're too late for that. We've passed by the lay-way." Bran called and the Doctor slammed the door shut in irritation. "You two are passengers now."

"When's the next lay-by?" The Doctor demanded, looking toward Bran.

"Oh... six months."

"Where the hell are we?" Ivy whispered, looking over at the Doctor. He shook his head, racking his hand through his gelled hair in frustration. "Was it like this last time?"

"No. We were up top. I had no idea..." The Doctor sighed, looking around the small area frantically. "Ah!" He cried, heading over to a blank computer screen. He began to use his screwdriver on it, making the screen flicker and then she saw a police logo pop up. The Doctor quickly grabbed the walkie attached to it, pressing the button. "I need to talk to the police." He demanded.

There was a pause and then an automated voice answered, the words scrolling across the screen. "Thank you for your call. You have been placed on hold."

"But you're the police!"

"Thank you for your call. You have been placed on hold." Came the automated voice again. The Doctor slammed the walkie down, growling in frustration before turning back toward them.

"Is there anyone else?" The Doctor asked desperately. "I once met the Duke of Manhattan. Is there any way of getting through to him?"

"Oh, now, ain't you lordly." Bran teased, but that only served to frustrate the Doctor more.

"I've got to find my friend!" He cried. Ivy lay a hand on his shoulder gently before looking at the two drivers.

"She was taken at gun point. The people could have hurt her."

"You can't make outside calls. The motorway's completely enclosed." Valerie explained, waving out the window.

"What about the other cars?"

"We've got contact with them- well, some of them, anyway." Bran said, nodding toward a computer screen. "You have to have them on your friends list. Now, let's see – who's nearby? Ah, the Cassini sisters." He said, bringing up a picture of a pair of elderly women. He grabbed the walkie, bringing it back to his mouth. "Still your hearts, my handsome girls. It's Brannigan here."

"Get off the line, Brannigan." Came a voice over the radio, sounding grumpy and unhappy. "You're a pest and a menace."

Ivy glanced at the Doctor, who raised an eyebrow. Ivy worried a bit what kind of help they would get from these unhappy sisters, but she saw Valerie smirking and hoped the two were only joking.

"Oh, come on, now, sisters. Is that any way to talk to an old friend?"

"You know full well we're not sisters," The older woman grumbled over the line. "We're married."

"Ooh! Stop that modern talk. I'm an old-fashioned cat." Brannigan joked, making Valerie laugh next to him. "Now, I've got a couple of hitchhikers here, calls himself the Doctor-"

"Hello. Sorry." The Doctor said, snatching the walkie from Brannigan impatiently. Ivy slapped his arm, earning a glare from him as he focused on the walkie. "I'm looking for someone called Martha Jones. She's been carjacked. She's inside one of the vehicles, but I don't know which one."

"Wait a minute." Another woman's voice called over the walkie. "Could I ask, what entrance did they use?"

The Doctor glanced at her, as if she would know where they had been, and she just shrugged. "Where were we?" The Doctor asked Brannigan.

"Pharmacy Town."

"Pharmacy Town, about twenty minutes ago."

"Let's have a look. Just my luck to marry a carspotter." One of the woman muttered.

"In the last half-hour 53 new cars joined from the Pharmacy Town junction." The other woman muttered and Ivy looked over at the Doctor hopelessly. 53? That was way too many to look through.

"Anything more specific?" The Doctor asked.

"All in good time." The woman scolded, reminding Ivy eerily of the nuns from the home she grew up in. "Was she carjacked by two people?"

"Yes, she was. Yeah."

"There we are- just one of those cars was destined for the fast lane. That means they had three on board. And the car number is 4-6-5-Diamond-6."

"That's it! So, how do we find them?" The Doctor cried, looking over at Ivy with a bit of hope in her eyes.

"Ah, now, there, I'm afraid I can't help."

The Doctor dropped the walkie in disappointment, looking toward Brannigan. "Can we call them on this thing?"

"We've got their number, Diamond-6." Ivy said hopefully, but Brannigan frowned and shook his head.

"Not if they're designated fast lane- it's a different class." Brannigan shrugged.

"You could try the police." One of the woman on the other line offered. Ivy shook her, glancing back at the other screen to see the police logo still shifting back and forth, clearly still on hold.

"They put us on hold."

"You'll have to keep trying. There's no one else." One of the women sighed.

"Thank you." The Doctor said, letting the walkie fall and he stared out at window into the fog with a calculating look in his brown eyes. She could see him thinking, going over everything.

"Wait," Ivy muttered, tapping his shoulder. "The fast lane is for cars with three passengers, right? Well, we have four now."

The Doctor nodded, grinning and pointing his finger at her in agreement. "Yes." He said, looking toward Brannigan and Valerie. "We've got to go to the fast lane. Take us down there."

"Not in a million years." Brannigan snapped, shaking his head.

"Why not? Works for both of us! You get going faster, we can get our friend." Ivy argued, but Brannigan was still adamantly shaking his head.

"You've got three passengers."

"I'm still not going!" Brannigan said, though Ivy couldn't understand why. If she was right, he actually looked a bit scared. Did he not actually want to get to the surface?

"She's alone and she's lost." The Doctor growled, leaning close to Brannigan. "She doesn't even belong on this planet and it's all my fault. I'm asking you, Brannigan, take me down."

"That's a no and that's final!" Valerie piped up, turning to glare at the two of them. "I'm not risking the children down there."

"Why not?" Ivy asked cautiously, looking between the couple. "What's the risk? What happens down there?"

"We're not discussing it. The conversation is closed." Valerie insisted, turning away from them angrily. Ivy glanced nervously at the Doctor, wondering what exactly was down in this fast lane that got them so worried. Maybe there were worse people than those car jackers down there.

"So, what? We just keep driving?" The Doctor asked angrily.

"Yes." Brannigan said, looking back out toward the motorway.

"For how long?!"

"Till the journey's end."

This certainly wasn't a good enough answer for the Doctor, because he grabbed the walkie again, yanking it toward him. "Mrs. Cassini, this is the Doctor. Tell me, how long have you been driving on the motorway?"

"Oh, we were amongst the first." Mrs. Cassini explained. "It's been 23 years now."

"23 years." Ivy whispered, shaking her head. This was ridiculous. How could any of them think that this was normal?

"And in all that time, have you seen a police car?" The Doctor asked, earning a slightly worried look from the couple before them.

Both the Cassini's paused, seeming to mull this over. But Ivy could already tell what the answer was. "I'm not sure." One of the Cassini's said, but Ivy could hear the fear in her voice.

"Look at your notes. Any police?" The Doctor urged, waiting patiently for the reply.

"Uh, not as such." One of the Cassini's admitted reluctantly.

"Any ambulances? Rescue service? Anything official, ever?"

"I can't keep a note of everything." The Cassini women snapped, clearly growing uncomfortable with the turn of the conversation. Valerie and Brannigan had the same uncomfortable looks on their faces as well and Ivy could tell that they hadn't seen any of the things the Doctor was describing either.

"What if there's no one out there?" The Doctor asked. Brannigan whipped around, grabbing the walkie from him and glaring at him angrily.

"Stop it! The Cassini's were doing you a favor." Brannigan snapped, shoving the walkie back on its stand.

"Someone's got to ask." The Doctor growled, leaning close to Brannigan. "'Cause you might not talk about it, but it's there, in your eyes. What if the traffic jam never stops?"

Brannigan shook his head, scoffing the Doctor halfheartedly. "There's a whole city above us." He snapped, but Ivy could see him fighting to keep faith in what he was saying. "The mighty city-state of New New York. They wouldn't just leave us."

"Where are they then? Why are we on hold with the _police?_" Ivy said, shaking her head and pointing toward the computer screen.

"What if there's no help coming, not ever?" The Doctor added, staring at Brannigan with a grave look on his face. "What if there's nothing? Just the motorway, with the cars going 'round and 'round and 'round and 'round, never stopping, forever?"

"Shut up!" Valerie cried, shaking with fear. "Just shut up!"

There was suddenly a scratchy noise and Ivy saw a pretty, blonde pop up on the screen by the front window. "This is Sally Calipso and it's that time again. The Sun is blazing high in the sky over the New Atlantic- the perfect setting for the daily contemplation."

"You think you know us so well, you two. But we're not abandoned, not while we have each other." Brannigan insisted, looking over at his wife, who smiled at him lovingly.

"This is for all of you out there on the roads. We're so sorry. Drive safe."

A song started up after the blonde woman disappeared and Ivy heard Valerie, Brannigan and others voice's echo the tune around them. Even though the song was eerily sad, it was actually beautiful to listen to all the voices singing together as one whole unit, bonded by the motorway.

It ended after a couple of minutes, leaving the car completely silent. Brannigan reached out, gently squeezing Valerie's hand and the couple shared a loving moment before the Doctor whipped around and headed for the door. "If you won't take me, I'll go down on my own."

"Doctor-"

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Finding my own way." The Doctor said, running his sonic along a hatch in the floor. "I usually do."

"Oh, this has to be one of your stupider ideas." Ivy groaned, watching as he opened the hatch and peered down at the hundreds of cars below. He stood, shrugging off his coat and chuckling.

"Not even close. You're young. Give it time." He winked, throwing the coat over to the couple, who caught it and looked a bit dazed. "Look after that. I love that coat. Janis Joplin gave me that coat."

"But you can't jump!" Valerie cried, staring at the two of them in disbelief.

"Valerie, if it's any constellation right now, I'm having kittens." He grumbled, looking down at the open hatch worriedly.

"God, I hate you." Ivy grumbled, taking a couple of deep breathes and trying to steady herself.

"If I had a quid for every time I heard that one." The Doctor muttered, giving her a grin and pressing a kiss to her temple. "Come on then."

"This Martha, she must mean an awful lot to you." Brannigan said, shaking his head at the Doctor.

"Hardly know her." The Doctor sighed, leaning down toward the hatch. "I was too busy showing off. And I lied to her. Couldn't help it, just lied." He paused, taking a deep breath before looking back up at the couple. "Bye, then!"

He lowered himself down the hatch, hanging on for a moment before letting himself drop onto the car below. He looked up at Ivy, waving his hands toward her and calling her down.

"He's insane!" Valerie cried, staring down with wide eyes.

"You have no idea." Ivy muttered, slowly slipping her feet down the hatch. "Okay, okay..." She whispered, before closing her eyes and letting herself fall through the hole. She gave a cry, gasping in a large amount of gas, but was relieved when the Doctor caught her, his steady arms wrapped around her waist. "I hate you!"

"You love it!" He cried, before coughing and quickly leaning down to sonic open the top hatch of the car. He jumped down inside and Ivy followed suit to find herself in an all-white car inside and a very pale man sitting at the driver's seat.

"Who the hell are you two?" He demanded, staring at them with wide eyes.

"Sorry, motorway foot patrol. I'm doing a survey, how are you enjoying your motorway?" The Doctor asked, before whipping around and beginning to sonic open the lower hatch.

"Well, not very much," The man admitted, watching the two of them. "Junction 5s been closed for three years."

"Thank you!" The Doctor grinned, pulling the hatch open and sliding his sonic back in his coat. "Your comments have been noted. Have a nice day."

The continued on like this, opening top hatches, sliding in and then going out the bottom, coming across a couple of rocker Asian girls, a nudist couple who Ivy was pretty sure was smoking some herb, a pink man who's car was covered in fur and several others until they finally got to the last car before the fast lane. A man in a fancy suit and top hat sat at the driver's seat by himself, staring out at the cars with a bored look on his face. He whirled around when they landed on the hard floor, blinking in shock. "Is this legal?"

"Sorry. Motorway foot patrol." The Doctor coughed, bringing the rag they had taken from the rockers to his mouth.

"Whatever." Ivy grumbled, catching sight of a jug of water. "Can we get some water?"

"Of course." The man said, quickly reaching out and filling up a couple of cups and handing it to them. "Never let it be said I've lost my manners."

Ivy downed the water thankfully, letting out a sigh of relief. "Is this the last layer?" The Doctor asked after sucking down his own glass of water.

"Ah, we're right at the bottom. Nothing below us but the fast lane."

"Can we drive down?" The Doctor asked, but the man immediately shook his head and had that same look of fear on his face that Brannigan had.

"No. No, absolutely not." The man said, shaking his head adamantly. Ivy rolled her eyes, sighing.

"Of course." The Doctor grumbled, turning around to head toward the hatch at the bottom. "Let's have a look here."

"You can't jump. It's 1,000 feet down." The man cried, but the Doctor ignored him. He pulled it open, peering down through the fog to see a couple of lights twinkling below. There was a horrible roar from down below that made the hair on the back of Ivy's neck stand on end.

"What the hell was that?" Ivy asked, looking over at the Doctor.

"I try not to think about it." The man admitted, looking down the hatch uneasily.

"What are those lights?" The Doctor asked, coughing a bit as the smog drifted up. The growling drifted up again, making Ivy's stomach twist. "I just need to see." The Doctor growled, standing up and rushing toward the computer screen. "There must be some sort of ventilation. If I could just transmit a pulse through this thing maybe I could trip the system give us a bit of a breeze."

He began to take the screen apart, messing with the wiring within and tinkering with it. After a moment he gave a cry of excitement, jumping up and heading back toward the hatch. "Might shift the fumes a bit, give us a good look."

Ivy peered down, the man in the top hat coming to stand beside her and look down to see what was below. The fog slowly began to clear, revealing massive creatures below, reaching toward the cars with what looked like pinchers and snarling. "What the hell are they?"

"Macra." The Doctor said, staring down at the things worriedly. "The Macra used to be the scourge of this galaxy. Gas- they fed off gas, the filthier the better. They built up a small empire, using humans as slaved and mining gas for food."

"Those things don't exactly look like empire-builders to me." Ivy muttered, watching the things reach up blindly over and over. They didn't look smart or like slave drivers.

"Well, that was billions of years ago, billions." The Doctor said, shrugging. "They must have devolved down the years. Now they're just beasts. But their still hungry and our friend is down there."

"What do we-" Ivy started, but was cut off when the hatch above them snapped open.

"Oh, it's like New Times Square in here." The driver grumbled, standing to help whoever it was down the hatch. "For goodness sakes!"

A cat woman dropped down in a blue dress and an odd hat on her head. She grinned at Ivy and the Doctor when she caught sight of them, dusting off her dress. "Doctor, Ivy... you're hard to find."

"No guns!" The driver cried, staring at the rather large one she had on her hip. "I'm not having guns!"

"I only brought this in case of pirates!" The feline insisted, before turning back toward the two of them. "You two have got to come with me."

"Um..." Ivy muttered, glancing over at the Doctor but he looked just as confused about the cat woman as she was.

"Do we know you?"

She looked the two of them up and down with a soft smile on her face. "Neither of you have aged at all. Time has been less kind to me."

"Novice Hame!" The Doctor cried, his eyes sparking with recognition and he threw his arms around her for a second before jerking back again. "No, hold on, get off! Last time we met, you were breeding humans for experimentation."

"Excuse me?" Ivy snapped, glaring at Novice Hame, who at least at the decency to look sad.

"Spoilers." The Doctor muttered.

"I've sought forgiveness, Doctor, for so many years, under his guidance. And if you two come with me I might finally be able to redeem myself." Novice Hame begged, looking desperately at the two of them.

"We're not going anywhere! You've got Macra living underneath this city – Macra!" The Doctor snapped, pointing down toward the clawing beasts below. "And if our friend's still alive, she's stuck down there!"

"You've got to come with me, right now!" She growled, her voice becoming a bit fiercer.

"I, for one, am not going with some cat who experiments on people." Ivy piped up, turning back toward the driver. "We need to go to the fast lane, now."

"I'm sorry, Ivy, but the situation is even worse than you can imagine." Novice Hame said, grabbing her shoulder and the Doctor's wrist. "Transport."

"Don't you do that! Don't you dare!" Ivy heard the Doctor scream before Ivy was suddenly slammed against something hard and dusty. She groaned, rolling over onto her back to see a high, dark ceiling. "Ivy... Ivy, are you alright?"

"What the hell was that?" She grumbled, pulling herself up and rubbing her sore back.

"Rough teleport." The Doctor sighed, looking her over just in case before turning back toward Novice Hame. "But you can go straight back down and teleport people out, staring with Martha."

"I only had the power for one trip."

"Then get more!" Ivy snapped, glaring at the cat, but she seemed unfazed.

"Where are we?"

"High above, in the over-city." She explained, looking over the large room.

"Good, 'cause you can tell the senate of New New York I'd like a word." The Doctor growled, growing angrier. "They've got thousands of people trapped on the motorway- millions!"

"But you're inside the senate, right now." Novice Hame said sadly, before illuminating the large room. "May the goddess Santor bless them." Ivy gasped, staring up at the rows and rows of decomposed skeletons filling the room, disgust and sadness filling her. "They died. The city died."

The Doctor slowly walked forward, his brown eyes scanning the area sadly. "How long's it been like this?"

"24 years." Novice Hame sighed, stopping before a skeleton spread across a platform, its skin rotted and mummified. The Doctor crouched down, studying it.

"What happened?" Ivy asked, horrified.

"A new chemical, a new mood." Novice Hame said, looking down at the skeleton and plucking a small sticker from the dead body's wrist. "They called it 'Bliss'. Everyone tried it. They couldn't stop. A virus mutated inside the compound and become airborne. Everything perished... even the virus, in the end. It killed the world in seven minutes flat. There was just enough time to close down the walkways and the flyovers, sealing off the under-city. Those people on the motorway aren't lost, Doctor. They were saved."

"So the whole thing down there is running on automatic?" The Doctor asked, standing back up.

"There's not enough power to get them out. We did all we could to stop the system from choking."

"Who's 'we'?" Ivy asked curiously, glancing around and finding no one.

"And how did you survive?" The Doctor said, eyeing the cat.

"He protected me. And he has waited for the two of you these long years." Novice Hame said, smiling again.

"_Doctor. My Ivy_." The deep voice echoed through the senate. The Doctor perked up, whipping around and ran around the corner frantically.

"The Face of Boe!" He cried, stopping and crouching down before a giant, circular glass case that held what looked like a massive head.

"The what?" Ivy asked, staring at the head in disbelief. They knew this thing?

"Face of Boe!" The Doctor repeated, turning to smile and wave her forward. She tentatively stepped closer, watching the huge eyes blink at her.

"_I knew you would come." _This Face of Boe said, his voice echoing in her head. That was new.

"We met him before." The Doctor explained, studying the head inside the case critically. "Twice before. You always knew him though..."

"Don't I always?" She mumbled, tilting her head and studying the Face of Boe curiously.

"Back in the old days, I was made his nurse, as penance for my sin." Novice Hame said, looking at the ground guiltily.

"Old friend, what happened to you?" The Doctor asked, gingerly running his hand along the glass and staring up at him in concern.

"_Failing_." The Face of Boe sighed, blinking tiredly.

"He protected me from the virus by shrouding me in the smoke." Novice Hame said, staring at the large head with a look of love and admiration. "But with no one to maintain it, the city's power died. The under-city would have fallen into the sea."

"So he saved them." The Doctor said, looking up at the Face of Boe sadly.

"The Face of Boe wired himself into the mainframe. He's giving his life-force just to keep things running." Novice Hame said, shaking her head. Ivy frowned, staring at the large blue eyes sadly. The creature had sacrificed itself for Novice Hame, who certainly hadn't deserved it from what Ivy understood and an entire group of people below. He didn't deserve to die after doing something so selfless and heroic.

"Could we save him?" Ivy asked, taking a couple steps closer and pressing her hand to the cold glass.

"I'm afraid he's dying."

"But there are planets out there." The Doctor argued, twisting around to glare at the cat. "You could have called for help."

"The last act of the Senate was to declare New Earth unsafe." Novice Hame said, frowning unhappily. "The automatic quarantine lasts for 100 years."

"We could still do something." Ivy said quickly, looking down at the Doctor as he stared at the creature. "You could... sonic something and send a pulse or a burst or something and stop the quarantine. Or you could-"

The Doctor stood, looking down at her sadly and shaking his head. "I'm sorry." He whispered, laying a hand on her shoulder. She sighed, gently touching the glass.

"He saved everyone though."

"They both did." The Doctor said, his eyes flicking toward Novice Hame. "You both stayed here all these years."

"We had no choice." She said, looking toward the ground shyly.

"Yes, you did." The Doctor smiled, laying a hand on her shoulder. The cat smiled back, looking a bit happier.

"_Save them, Doctor._" That deep voice rasped. "_Save them._"

~DW~

"Car 4-6-5- DIAMOND-6, it still registers!" The Doctor cried, pointing toward the holographic image before him. "I knew she was good."

The Doctor quickly began to run around the room, messing with wires and throwing out very complicated orders. Ivy just did as she was told, holding a couple of the wires together as he ran around. Novice Hame held some as well, but she didn't look as hopeful as Ivy was. "There isn't enough power." She said, shaking her head.

"If there is anyone who can figure it out, it's him." Ivy assured her, smiling back at the Face of Boe reassuringly as well. The Doctor paused in his tinkering, turning to give her a bright smile. "I'm just saying... I'm not... it was... your just some freak when it comes to technology. Don't get a big head." She grumbled, looking away to hide the blush forming on her pale cheeks. "Um... no offense." She muttered, looking over at the Face of Boe, who she swore smiled just a tiny bit.

"I _am_ brilliant with computers." The Doctor grinned cheekily, winking at her. She huffed, rolling her eyes and trying to control the blushing. "Hame, every switch on that bank, up to maximum!" He ordered. Hame, despite her worry, began to flip the switches as she was told. He fiddled with a couple of other things, his fingers working swiftly and, though Ivy would never admit it, she couldn't help but be a bit impressed.

"I can't power up the city but all the city needs is people." The Doctor said, twisting some nob and hitting it.

"So what are you going to do?" Novice Hame asked.

"This!" He cried, shoving a switch down. But the as soon as the switch fell down, the power began to flicker off. "No! No, no, no, no, no, no!" He cried, quickly running back toward the computers and scanning it with his sonic. "The transformers are blocked. The signal can't get through."

"_Doctor._" The Face of Boe called, watching the Doctor closely.

"Yeah, hold on. Not now."

"_I give you my last..." _

"No, don't-" Ivy begged, but the lights were already coming back on, illuminating the senate room. The Doctor whipped around, staring at him in concern before hopping up.

"Ivy, Hame, look after him!" He ordered, flipping the large switch again. "Don't go dying on me you big ol' Face. You've got to see this. The open road. HA!" He began to fiddle with a computer screen again before it flickered to life and he grabbed a microphone. "Sorry, no Sally Calypso. She was just a hologram. My name's the Doctor and this is an order. Everyone, drive up, right now. I've opened the roof of the motorway. Come on. Throttle those engines. Drive up. All of you, the whole under-city, drive up. Drive up, drive up! You've got to clear that fast lane. Drive up and get out of the way! Oi, car 4-6-5-Diamond-6, Martha, drive up! You've got access above! Now go!"

Ivy walked toward the window, watching as hundreds of the cars began to fly up and into the bright morning light and among the giant, gleaming buildings. She smiled, hoping that Brannigan and those kittens were somewhere out there as well. "You lot just keep driving up. 'Cause it's here, just waiting for you," The Doctor continued cheerily. He walked over to the window, wrapped his arm around her waist and giving her a cheerful squeeze. "The city of New New York, and it's yours. And don't forget- I want that coat back, Brannigan."

"I recon that's a fair bargain." She heard Brannigan's voice call and she laughed, watching the cars continue up.

"And car 4-6-5-Diamond-6, I've sent you a flight path. Come to the senate."

"On my way!" A female voice called and Ivy breathed a sigh of relief when she recognized Martha. She smiled over at the Doctor, who grinned back happily.

"It's quite a while since we saw you, Martha Jones-"

"Doctor! Ivy!"

They both turned, the sound of glass shattering echoing around the room. Ivy gasped, quickly running toward the Face of Boe's case, watching as a crack began to spread further and further across the glass. "We have to fix it." Ivy gasped, looking toward the Doctor as he slowly walked the case. "Doctor-"

"_It is okay, my Ivy." _The voice echoed, calm and clear despite the fact that the glass began to crack even more.

"No." She whispered, her eyes filling with tears. "No, it's not. You saved all those people. For years. You can't die. It's not fair."

The Doctor lay his hand on her shoulder gently, squeezing. "I'm so, so sorry, Boe." He whispered, gently pulling her away as the glass began to crack and spider even worse.

"No!" Ivy cried, watching as the glass finally gave way and completely broke apart. The Doctor quickly stepped forward and to her surprise, began to pull out the remaining glass. "Stop! What are you doing?!"

"Getting him out." The Doctor said, pulling away another huge chunk of glass and tossing it to the side. "Help me."

Ivy nodded quickly, helping the Doctor and Novice Hame set the Face of Boe gently on the ground. Ivy sat down in front of him, laying her hand on his cheek. "I'm sorry."

"_It is okay. All things must end." _

"Doctor?" A voice called, sounding slightly horrified from behind them. "Doctor?"

"Over here." He called, not taking his eyes off of the Face of Boe.

"Doctor! What happened out there-" Martha called, skidding to a halt in front of them. She stared down at the Face of Boe, her eyes wide. "What's that?"

"It's the Face of Boe. It's all right." The Doctor assured her, waving her toward them. "Come say hello. And this is Hame. She's a cat. Don't worry." Martha slowly came forward, staring at the Face of Boe nervously.

"He's the one that saved you. Saved everyone." Ivy whispered, trying to hold back her tears.

"My lord gave his life to save the city." Novice Hame said as Martha took a seat next to the cat. "And now he's dying."

"No, don't say that. Not old Boe. Plenty of life left." The Doctor insisted, rubbing Ivy's shoulder.

"_It's good to breathe the air once more."_

"Who is he?" Martha asked, looking up at the Doctor and Ivy for explanation. Ivy looked over at him as well and was surprised to find that he looked just as confused by the question as Ivy was.

"I don't even know." He admitted, looking down at those giant eyes. "Legend says the Face of Boe has lived for billions of years. Isn't that right? And you're not about to give up now."

"You can make it a little longer." Ivy urged softly.

"_Everything has it's time. You both know that, my old friends, better than most." _

"The legend says more." Novice Hame said, looking down at the Face of Boe almost eagerly.

"Don't." The Doctor snapped, glaring at her. "There's no need for that."

"It says that the Face of Boe will speak his final secret to the two traveler's." Novice Hame continued, sneaking a glance at Ivy and the Doctor.

"What is she talking about?" Ivy asked, looking over at the alien, but he shook his head quickly.

"Nothing. There is no need for that yet. Who needs secrets, eh?" He said, giving Novice Hame a warning look.

"_I have seen so much... perhaps too much." _The Face of Boe sighed, staring at them tiredly. "_I am the last of my kind- as you are the last of yours, Doctor." _

Ivy froze, looking over at the Doctor. What did that mean, the last of his kind? She had discussed the Doctor's home with him and the other Time Lords and he had never said anything.

"That's why we have to survive, both of us." The Doctor said, his voice shaking. "Don't go."

"Please." Ivy said gently, laying her hand on his rough cheek.

"_I must. But this will not be the last time you see me, my Ivy. I am part of your life as you are part of mine." _He whispered, his breathing becoming haggard. _"And my message for both of you. It is the same, but mean very different things... Time Lord, Child of Time, you are not alone" _

Ivy stared down at the Face of Boe, watching as his large eyes slowly began to slide shut. She bit her lip, trying to hold back the tears as the Face of Boe's last breathe left his lips. She quickly stood, turning away as she heard Novice Hame choke back a sob. She felt a hand wrap around her shoulders and the Doctor pulled her close as she tried to stop crying. She had barely known the Face of Boe, but he hadn't deserved to die. He had been a hero, a lonely hero and another person that Ivy had to watch go when they didn't deserve it. Like Rory, Bob and Father Octavian. "He had a long life and he didn't suffer." The Doctor assured him.

"He didn't deserve it."

"No one does." The Doctor sighed, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "But at least he wasn't alone."

~DW~

They walked down the now empty alley way slowly, taking in the trash blowing by and the now empty vendor's areas. "All closed down." The Doctor said, his hands shoved into his coat.

"Happy?" Martha asked, smiling over at him.

"Happy happy." He joked, chuckling a bit as his own joke. "New New York can start again. And they've got Novice Hame. Just what every city needs- cats in charge. Come on, off we go."

"What did he mean? The Face of Boe... 'You're not alone'?" Martha asked, staying where she was and studying the Doctor curiously.

"And he called me... 'Child of Time'. What does that mean?" Ivy asked, staring at him nervously.

"I don't know." He admitted, looking almost unfazed by any of it.

"You've got me. Is that what he meant?" Martha asked, looking at him with a loving smile. He smiled back, but shook his head.

"I don't think so." He said, making her smile fade just a bit. Ivy nudged him, shaking her head. "Sorry."

"Then what?" Martha asked and Ivy looked over at him expectantly.

"Doesn't matter." He said simply, before turning around on his heel. "Back to the TARDIS. Off we go."

"Seriously?" Ivy grumbled, watching him walk casually down the alleyway.

"Yep. Come on!"

She sighed, running a hand through her hair and glancing over at Martha. She stared back at her, looking just as annoyed before she turned around, grabbed a dirty chair that had been tipped over, set it right and took a seat. The Doctor heard her, turned around and gave her an amused look as she stared out at him stubbornly. "All right... you staying?"

"Till you talk to us properly, yes." She snapped, glaring out at him.

"I like her." Ivy said, smiling cheekily at the Doctor as she grabbed another chair, dusted it off a bit and sat herself down as well, much to the Doctor's annoyance.

"You too?" He grumbled, glaring at her.

"Yes." She snapped, leaning back in the chair. "You know everything about me and I don't know anything about you. Not exactly fair. So... what did he mean when he said 'last of your kind'?"

"That really doesn't matter." He said, looking away from the two of them. "Now, let's-"

"No!" Ivy barked, sighing. "You don't get to know about Nathan and then shove me out."

He was about to open his mouth, but was cut off when a song was heard from up above. It was beautiful... a song of freedom and happiness that made Ivy feel just a bit better about today, despite the death of the Face of Boe. "The city." Martha whispered, looking up in awe. "They're singing."

"I lied to you, Martha. 'Cause I liked it. Thinking they were still alive under that burnt-orange sky." He said, smiling at the young woman sadly. "And Ivy, I think I didn't... didn't want to see your face when I told you." He sighed, looking over at the two of them with those worried brown eyes. "I'm not just a Time Lord. I'm the last of the Time Lords. The Face of Boe was wrong- there's no one else."

Ivy stared at him, taking in the deep sadness etched into his face and she felt worry and fear begin to bubble up in her stomach. What could have happened to wipe out an entire race of people? And how had he alone survived?

"What happened?"

The Doctor sighed, staring at the two of them nervously before he grabbed another overturned chair and planted himself in front of them. He took a deep breath, gathering himself before he leaned close and looked the two of them in the eye. "There was a war... a Time War. The last great Time War. My people fought a race called the Daleks for the sake of all creation and they lost. We lost. Everyone lost. They're all gone now. My family... my friends... even that sky." He smiled suddenly, looking out at a sky only he could see, only he could picture. "Oh, you should have seen it, that old planet." He breathed, that smile slowly cracking, his chin shaking and a look of pure pain coming over his face. The look broke Ivy's heart. "The second sun would rise in the south and the mountains would shine. The leaves on the trees were silver. When they caught the light every morning, it looked like a forest on fire. When the autumn came the breeze would blow through the branches..."

Ivy watched and listened as he described this mesmerizing planet, his eyes far away in a world only he knew. It was sad, but beautiful and Ivy only wished she could have seen it herself.

~DW~

"Can I ask you something?"

The Doctor glanced over at her, raising an eyebrow cautiously. "I suppose." He said slowly, narrowing his eyes at her.

She shifted nervously, deliberating on whether she should ask what she wanted to. He seemed better now, less sad than he had been before when he had discussed his extinct home planet. Should she risk upsetting him again?

"You can ask me anything, Ivy." He said, giving her a small smile.

"How... how did you survive the Time War?"

He stared at her, seeming to struggle with how he wanted to answer. She felt horrible for bringing it up again, dredging up that horrible pain. If anyone understood not wanting to talk about their past, it was her. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

"No." He said, looking down at console and taking a deep breathe. "You deserve to know. But you have to understand," He looked up at her, suddenly desperate and pleading. "You have to understand that the war got bad. The Dalek's are horrible in the first place. They had to be stopped and to do it, the Time Lord's did everything they could think of. They were good people but they got desperate."

She nodded slowly, growing a bit fearful of what he was going to say. There was something in his eyes, something horribly... guilty. "What happened?"

His head fell, his shoulders tense as he closed his eyes and tried to steady himself. "I had to stop it. The War began to spread across the universe. Began to destroy other planets. Innocent people were dying and I couldn't watch it anymore." He whispered, his voice shaking. "So I used a weapon called the Moment. And I killed them all. Daleks... and Time Lords. All of them."

Ivy stared, trying to process what exactly he was saying. He had... killed an entire planet, an entire race. _His own _race. This man, who had saved instead of killed, who had believed so whole heartedly that humans could be peaceful and accept those reptiles, who had done everything he could to save the Face of Boe. Ivy couldn't imagine how horrible the war could have been to give a man like that no other choice than to destroy everyone and everything. And now he was alone, just him and his TARDIS.

A lot made sense about this strange alien man now. Why he never traveled alone, always with one of those humans and why he put himself in danger to save complete strangers. And that horribly lonely look in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Doctor." Ivy whispered, making him look up at her. "I'm so, so sorry."

He stared, pain and fear on his handsome face. "I didn't have a choice." He whispered, his chin shaking as a lone tear fell down his cheek.

"I know." She said, taking a step forward and tentatively wrapping her arms around him. It felt odd, initiating intimate contact like this again after so long, but she held onto him as tightly as she could. He shook in her arms, his shoulders shaking silently as he cried. It was painful to listen to and Ivy fought tears of her own that were threatening to spill over. She couldn't cry now. This wasn't about her. This was about the Doctor and letting him know he wasn't blamed.

"It's okay." She said, holding onto him tightly. "It's okay."

**Thanks again for reading. Please, for the love of God, review. **

**Also, had a question for you. Are the chapters to long or is that working for people? Just wanting to make sure. I personally like long chapters but I know that staring at a computer screen for that long and everything could get kind of annoying. Just wondering**

**Thanks for reading! **


End file.
